Scrubbed
by indehed
Summary: (McDanno, Sentinel AU) Steve, a five-sense Sentinel, leaves behind his high-level Guide to hunt down the elusive Shelburne. Meanwhile, Frank Delano, a low level Sentinel, has escaped from Halawa and wants revenge against those who put him in there. His spies tell him Steve McGarrett has disappeared off island, but they've been keeping good track of the Guide he left behind.
1. Chapter 1

**Genre: Alternate Universe - Sentinels and Guides**

 **Pairing: Steve McGarrett/Danny Williams**

 **Spoilers/Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, torture. This story begins around Season 2 episode 20 (where Steve leaves to go to Japan) and then goes fully AU once we get to the end of the season. I have seen episodes of the Sentinel, but this is my take on it as a concept taken from the show as well as fanon.**

 **Originally published (on ao3): March 2013**

 **Author's note: I love the Sentinel/Guide trope in fics for Hawaii 5-0. Steve and Danny seem to be a perfect fit for me in that world. I've read fabulous fics already for Sentinel!Steve and Guide!Danny and how they met, and I don't want to mess with the perfection out there so I decided I'd rather pick up the storyline further in, which also gives me the chance to use my favorite Five-0 villain.**

* * *

 _Partner, I'm sorry I couldn't be there in person to tell you this, but I need to find Joe White. I think he lied to me about the identity of Shelburne, and I need to get the truth. Shelburne is the real reason my father was murdered and maybe even my mother, but until I get some answers, I can't do this job right. Danno, I need you to hold down the fort for a while, I'll be in touch. Mahalo._

Danny read the letter and mumbled a 'Mahalo' himself in disbelief at what he was reading.

He had wondered why Steve had been so 'off' the day before. Evasive and distracted despite Danny's best efforts to engage him in any kind of conversation.

In the afternoon, Steve had taken Danny home, he'd taken him apart, slowly, and strengthened the imprint he had on his Guide. Yet Danny had put it down to jealousy after he had been seen by another Sentinel in the coffee shop that morning. Neither man had missed it, especially since the other Sentinel had a sleazy look to him, with his dark hair slicked back with too much product and a far too bright Aloha shirt covering a rather well-muscled chest. As a Sentinel, Steve had a possessive streak to rival his protective one and where Danny was concerned it ratcheted up to eleven. Danny had become used to it over the last few years, but with them being paired up so late on in their development, it was like Steve was making up for lost time. Danny would also bet his last paycheck that Steve would be like this, Sentinel or not.

He had been convinced that Steve had just wanted to reiterate their bond so anyone with any Sentinel senses would know to back off. He'd even teased him about it.

Now, Danny looked back on the previous day with new eyes.

Steve had already decided he was leaving without Danny. He'd focused the imprint because he knew he'd be away for a while. The only worry was how long. And on top of that, what the _**hell**_ had Steve been thinking, leaving without him? He'd just thought Steve had left in the truck earlier that morning to get in to the office and do paperwork, but clearly he'd left to get in to leave this note and then run off to God knows where, to do God knows what with God only knew who. Stupid Sentinels and their protective nature.

He had no time to think about it as Kamekona burst through his door, asking for help locating his missing shrimp truck. Then the trash-man case had taken all of Danny's attention. There were too many times during the day that Danny found himself waiting for Steve to loom over him. At one point, he even went to touch Chin's shoulder as he looked over evidence, automatically reaching out to ground a Sentinel who wasn't even there.

He kept catching himself wanting to guide over the day, but he couldn't deny his nature either. And he wanted Steve to be there to calm him down when he got short-tempered or overly sensitive.

Late on in the day, after the case was solved, the Governor had pulled him into his office to talk about how the 5-0 task force would run with a Guide at the helm rather than a Sentinel; as if Danny wasn't a trained Police Detective and was just a glorified babysitter to an overgrown 5 year old who liked things that go bang. Luckily the collar for the trash-man so quickly had eased the man's mind, and Danny was to be left alone to do his job, just like Steve had been.

Besides, Steve would be back.

As he sat by the beach with Chin at the end of the day, he reasoned Steve's disappearance away the best he could. He'd left on his own, without backup and without a Guide to protect them. He left them behind so they wouldn't get hurt, and he knew he was right because he knew how Steve's mind worked. What he didn't add was just how idiotic Steve was being in thinking like that, but he knew Chin could read it in his eyes without him having to say it out loud.

Chin and Kono knew Steve and Danny the best. They may not have any clue what went down in private, but they knew the working relationship and they understood the dynamics of them as friends, partners; as Sentinel and Guide.

"To leave you behind, Danny," Chin reached out and placed a hand on Danny's arm. "It must be pretty major to leave his Guide behind."

Danny nodded, "And when he gets in touch he's going to hear about it."

"I know, brah. Not to put you down or anything, but until 2 years ago he was a Navy SEAL Sentinel without a Guide and he was fine. He's going to come back fine again."

"Two years ago, before he met me, he was an idiot skating by without a permanent Guide. He was lucky I agreed to this shit in the first place." Danny grumbled; his frustration coming out in his tone. "I took pity on him when he looked at me like a puppy at the pound. And in the same vein, he pretty much told me he'd die if I didn't help him, and what're you supposed to do when someone tells you that?"

"Maybe he has someone with him now that he used in his SEAL days."

Danny acknowledged then ignored the sting of jealousy that Chin's words evoked, letting his constant worry take over again in its place. "If he zones out there and it's bad… a temp Guide may not work. In fact, a temp probably wouldn't work because as it is, it was unsuspecting little old me that brought him out of that last bad one when his dad died. It's only been my voice, my scent, my touch that has grounded him since so why, in that thick headed skull of his, would he think a temp Guide would be any real help to him now?"

Chin didn't get the chance to answer as Kamekona once more got in the way before Kono arrived with his truck.

* * *

Danny hadn't been sleeping right without Steve there. Something in his head was missing.

Something was wrong.

Steve may be the Sentinel and have the enhanced senses but Danny's sense of _**well-being**_ was completely off without Steve. He'd never experienced this before, but then he'd never been apart from Steve for more than a day since they'd met. Steve had insinuated himself into Danny's life like a dog with a chew toy and he just refused to let go. It had been endearing at first but felt over-bearing quickly so Danny had kept his apartment in a last bid to have a sanctuary away from everything; at least sometimes. His need to know that he still had his own life, that it hadn't been taken over by someone else, was insistent.

He was the one whom other people depended on. He had Grace and he was used to providing for her. To have Steve waltz in and become territorial with Danny so fast was too much to take. But it hadn't lasted long, and by the end of the year, when Danny was given no choice but to move out from where he was, Steve had corralled him into his house and he'd been there ever since.

Steve had given perfectly valid reasoning. Danny stayed over plenty as it was considering they were sleeping together. Even when Danny was at his apartment they still had their phones to tether themselves to each other, so it was logical that they gave in and lived together properly. But Danny hadn't figured that the link between them was as substantial as it appeared to be now. He'd never known because they were comfortable living in each others' pockets, with a pretty regular routine for two cops who could get pulled onto a case at any time of night or day.

He shook his head as he sat at the table. It was like there was a string holding them to each other, and it had been stretched way too taut with Steve being so far away and them having had no contact at all. And he had this constant, building, low thrum of a headache at the back of his head.

After that first day, Danny had expected a phone call. He may not have been with Steve but surely the man needed to talk to Danny? Even professionally… SEAL to Cop or Sentinel to Guide it didn't really matter to him. Instead, the only phone call he received that night had been from the Guide Center, concerned about him without Steve there. The Governor had apparently called it in that Steve had left, asking for advice on whether Danny would be okay to do his job – the meeting they'd had together that day clearly not enough to persuade the man that Danny was perfectly fine and that he wasn't just going to faint without Steve there. Or that wherever Steve was, he wouldn't zone out and that would be it. He had been told by the Center that if he was having difficulty, or if Steve didn't return soon, they would send someone out to assess and help him.

Even if he _**was**_ having difficulty, which he maintained he wasn't despite the headache and lack of sleep, he had no plans to call that damned Center. He didn't have a huge amount of faith in them as it was; misdiagnosing him as a child to be only slightly empathic and not a Guide like his mother and one of his sisters, let alone a high-level Guide like his Aunt. Because of them, he'd never been introduced to Steve sooner and who knows what would have been different if that had happened?

And yet, he couldn't regret the life he had. Sure something had been missing and Rachel hadn't been able to fill that void. And he wouldn't give up Grace for anything - he loved his little girl too much for that. But it angered him that Steve could have suffered if not for them actually happening upon each other like they did.

It was his own fault too, though. Over the years he suspected something was wrong, considering the other Sentinels he'd met that had taken interest in him. But he'd always put them in their place, told them they were wrong, that he wasn't a Guide… that asking if he was, was a bad pick up line and besides, he was a cop and he'd bust their balls if they tried anything.

Apart from his uncle, he'd never met a five sense Sentinel before Steve, only low level ones. The most advanced he'd met was a three sense fire-fighter who worked with his dad. He'd even dated the guy a little before meeting Rachel but they both came to the conclusion that they didn't fit and the guy was really a romantic looking for his true Guide so it wasn't fair to either of them to continue seeing each other.

He rubbed the back of his head, the pain not dulled by the Tylenol he'd taken and he just wanted some decent sleep.

Dammit, he didn't want to call in help from the Center. They'd mother-hen him like they always did, as if trying to make up for not bringing him in as a child and giving him proper training for this life he found himself in now. And then they'd probably take him away 'for his own safety' which would mean leaving Grace for a while and he wouldn't do that. He wouldn't leave her and he wouldn't worry her. It was bad enough when he had to explain that Uncle Steve was working away from home right now, but would be back before she knew it.

He sighed then went back to looking at everything he had laid out from the Champ box. If he just knew where Steve was…

He unfolded the map. It had Shelburne listed on it and it wasn't Steve's handwriting. A map of Japan. If Steve was there then he really had no excuse for not calling. Danny was very well aware that they had phones in Japan. They had a lot of technology. There was no excuse because it wasn't like Steve needed to send a Sherpa on a camel over desert and mountains for a week to get a quick note to Danny that said 'I'm fine' on it.

"You know, you could look at that stuff all night and not get any closer to figuring it out."

Danny looked up in shock to find Chin standing just a few feet behind him. His head must be worse than he thought if he didn't realize Chin had come in the door.

"I think I may have figured out where he went." He handed the map to Chin.

"Never seen this before," Chin started, unfolding it. "Shelburne."

"That is definitely not his handwriting."

"No, it's his father's. Alright, so what? You're going off to Japan too?" Chin's question was logical. Would Danny go off hunting up his Sentinel? It was the one thing Danny had been afraid of when becoming Steve's Guide – he'd end up following the guy around the world on a SEAL mission rather than staying put and being right where he needed to be for Grace. North Korea had been bad enough as it was.

"No, I am not going off to Japan, I am going to stay here and do my job." It killed him to say it. He had been seriously considering it but his instinct to stay for Grace was one he had to listen to. And he was well aware that Grace was likely the very reason Steve had left without him. He'd been mad at the man for a week now. He'd thought of every reason Steve would throw out for leaving him and it always came back to Grace, which made Danny feel awful about being mad at Steve because the man was thinking of Danny's safety in this whole thing, wanting him to be there for his daughter like he'd always said he would be. Sometimes he hated when Steve actually listened to him. "Leaving and not telling anyone where I'm going is not my style," he added.

"I know," Chin nodded.

"He leaves me a note, says he's going after Shelburne, disappears for a _**week**_ and he doesn't call and doesn't say 'I'm alive' or 'everything's okay'…"

"Steve believes Shelburne is the answer to a lot of questions, including why his father was murdered."

"His father is dead. And finding Shelburne is not going to change that, I promise you that. And dealing with his father's murder on his own has never ended well for him, hence why I'm here in the first place…"

Chin nodded but the conversation halted with a call from the Governor that Danny answered with only a little bit of distaste.

* * *

Danny was thankful in many ways to the smallpox case. If anything it really did take his mind off having Steve missing, even if his headache never went away and he certainly didn't get any sleep while investigating.

Chin had been there at his back the whole time, keeping an eye on him. The worry was evident on the native Hawaiian's face as he watched Danny go through the day. The introduction of the NCIS agents had made the dynamics different, to say the least, but Chin had been right there beside Danny when they realized that Agent Hanna was a low level Sentinel with advanced sight and the agent with him wasn't his Guide.

Sam knew Steve well, he also knew that Danny was Steve's Guide. The other man was confused to not find Steve plastered to Danny's side, but Danny felt no obligation to explain anything. Sam's partner, Agent Callen, wasn't his bonded Guide - a fact that had thrown Danny. He'd assumed with them working closely that he would be and they acted very much like they were, but Sam's wife was his Guide and they didn't work together anymore as she had retired in order to have kids. It made sense to Danny though, as that's what his mother had done. While at work, G helped where he could but apparently there was a low-level un-bonded Guide on the team back in LA, or so Sam told Danny after they ran Comescu's car off the road at Sand Island.

"Fat lot of good that's going to do if you zone while over here."

"I knew coming in that you were McGarrett's Guide. Figured if I got into trouble you could temp for me."

"I barely know how to help Steve most of the time, and you expect me to be able to temp for you. Are you nuts?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"If, _**if**_ we come to it. And I gotta tell ya, I'm sensing a Navy SEAL colored pattern here. Not just back seat drivers, no, but you just assume the team around you will follow your stupid asses into danger and everything will be okay in the end."

Sam turned and looked earnestly at Danny, while riding back to the warehouse in the Camaro. "McGarrett trusts your abilities. If he does, then I do too."

"That's what I just said, isn't it?"

Sam shook his head with a rueful smile as they pulled up. The conversation never came around again. Sam had been steady when using his ability and they'd closed the case. They were happily bantering over the car's name when Kono called to say the case wasn't over after all.

Danny had to get on a plane to LA, and that string that was wound tightly in his head got worse. Flying back to the mainland, putting 5 more hours and too many more miles between himself and Steve increased the pain. He just wanted that string to relax, even a little. Maybe make it a bit more elastic so it wasn't wound so tight, but no such luck.

He pulled out a tub of extra-strength Excedrin and hoped to hell it would work as he dry swallowed them while sitting on the plane.

"You okay?" Sam asked, while Chin looked on concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm surrounded by people who have no reservations about jumping out of a plane, on purpose, no less, and I'm heading into a possible outbreak of smallpox. I'm just peachy, thanks for asking."

"How long has Steve been gone?" Sam was starting to catch on, Danny could tell in the way he looked at him. The guy had been away from his wife for no more than a day, there was no way he'd know how it felt, and that was only if Sentinels felt things like Guides did. As it was, Danny was only assuming this was a feeling all Guides got when separated from their Sentinels and it wasn't just some sort of placebo thing from him missing Steve in a perfectly normal way. The Guides in his family had never said anything, but then, he'd never mentioned anything himself to Chin or Kono this past week either.

"About a week," Chin answered, while Danny simultaneously answered with, "I wasn't keeping track."

Sam sent him a look that said he wasn't kidding anyone. "Bad headache?"

Danny cleared his throat. "I'm fine."

"I feel for you, buddy," Sam said as the plane began its final descent.

* * *

If he didn't have a headache before, he would after meeting Deeks and getting that smallpox jab. But he'd enjoyed spending a little time with Kensi. He'd never really been able to sit down with a Guide who did the same kind of job he did. Okay, he'd met other Guide cops, but Kensi had to wrangle a Navy SEAL occasionally and he was open to having a frank discussion with her about dealing with him. As well as how she dealt with Deeks, on a daily basis. She already told him about Deeks' armpit theory and he had pointed out to her that he was only jealous because she had another Guide to talk to and they had something in common. He had tried to steer her onto safer topics of conversation, trying his best to ignore the elephant in the room – Danny was here with Chin partnering him, and not his Sentinel, who had disappeared on them. Kensi knew Steve, had met him before though she'd not met Danny at the time. Joe White had spoken highly of her and Steve had met with her to discuss Shelburne stuff. It was always going to come up for discussion.

Thankfully Deeks had distracted them and Danny had been able to forget about his headache and his hunger and lack of sleep, for just a few minutes. Then they had to go save the world.

The come down from that adrenaline rush had left him exhausted again. He was surprised they were still on their feet and now he just wanted to go home. He didn't even want the shower or the beer. At least getting on a plane back to Honolulu meant he was heading back in Steve's direction.

"Fortunately your talent for Police work far exceeds your gift for discourse, Detective, though I am willing to put that down to your separation from your Sentinel." She paused, looking at him strangely, sizing him up yet again in the way that creeped him out. "On behalf of NCIS I would like to thank you both for your help." She shook Chin's hand then turned to Danny. "I'm sure that headache of yours will begin to ease soon."

"I didn't cause it," Deeks put in.

"It's rare, but it can happen during separations. Most unpleasant. I once knew a Guide whose Sentinel had been injured in an embassy bombing. She lost track of him, found out a week later that her Sentinel was lying in a Turkish hospital with a concussion and a broken leg. I drove the Guide over three different borders to reunite them."

"Three borders, you say." Danny said, trying to be polite, yet also intrigued by the story.

"Not that the border guards knew anything about it." She stopped the story and Danny looked at the others who showed no sign that anything was out of the ordinary.

His impatience drove him to blurt out, "So what happened?"

She looked at him like she would placate a small child. "I don't know. I dropped her off and got out of there. I wasn't going to stick around for a Sentinel reuniting with his Guide after that length of time."

"What, what do you mean?" He asked wearily.

She patted his arm. "I'm sure you'll find out when yours returns."

She walked off, leaving the others smirking at him.

"Sam?"

"Never experienced prolonged separation," he replied, holding his hands up.

"Kensi?"

"Un-bonded," she gestured to herself.

He looked at Chin, hoping his friendly face might show some sympathy or concern but all he saw was amusement. "I just want to know if I'm in danger of bodily harm here, is that too much to ask?"

Chin reached out to Danny's shoulder, "Brah, this is McGarrett we're talking about. Of course you are." Chin turned to the others. "Aloha," he said as he walked off.

Danny trailed after him after waving a quick goodbye, "Hold up, you don't know what happens when we, when we, you know…"

"I know Steve, and I know you, and I can guess the rest." Chin laughed, " Kono? Well she's got bets on the kinky stuff."

"Kinky, what the hell? It's not… Steve just likes…"

Chin put his fingers in his ears, "too much information…"


	2. Chapter 2

Steve had called. Finally.

Two weeks after he'd gone, out of the blue he had called. Danny had been out of it enough after another dry swallow of headache pills that he hadn't even checked the caller ID, so he'd been surprised when Steve's voice had spoken to him. Steve had picked up on his worry, but seemed non-plussed about their separation, so Danny refused to make mention of anything to him. Not in front of Chin and Kono, and not when Steve was giving them intel for a new case. Or the continuation of an old case? Whatever the hell this thing with Wo Fat was.

Even if Steve was suffering from their separation, he wouldn't let it show. No, he would be in full Navy SEAL badass mode, especially when he was dealing with Wo Fat.

"Hey, listen, we will be fine, just do me a favor and take care of your own six."

"Sorry, did you say 'six'? Okay, I've been gone way too long, you're starting to sound like me."

"I know, I know, and it just made me want to throw up, can you hurry back please?"

"Yeah, roger that."

* * *

Having a black bag put over his head did nothing for his health. Being pulled and pushed around then cuffed to a chair was not helping either, certainly in the more immediate sense. Seeing the face of the smug morons from the CIA when the bag was pulled off was not surprising in the least and was beginning to play into every cliché in the book, but the more he listened to Agent Kendricks, the more angry he got and the more he had to rein it in.

"Listen to me, if anything happens to that plane, I promise you, I am going to find you and I'm going to kill you. Okay?" The slap to his face that followed jarred his head and neck, making everything hurt worse but he refused to show it.

"Don't be ridiculous. We're the good guys."

"Yeah, you're the good guys," Danny laughed hollow and low. "What did… what did you do 'good guys', huh?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing…"

"All we have to do is wait and let nature take its course."

"You really don't get it, do you?" Danny continued. "I know the people bringing Wo Fat in, that's why I knew about the plane coming in dark."

"Accidents happen."

"Yeah they do, but not to this guy. He's a Sentinel. He's very good with the natural course of things."

"Things are becoming clearer." Kendricks knelt in front of Danny and kept his eyes focussed on him, assessing him. Danny didn't like it, feeling uncomfortable under the gaze but his own hardened eyes refused to give in to these nut-jobs. "You're a Guide? His Guide?"

Danny turned his head away, looking at the other spooks, including the one who'd met him in the parking garage and now stood like a coward at the back of the pack. He cleared his throat as he looked back at the head agent. "No, I'm not."

The other man's eyes narrowed in suspicion but he didn't call Danny on his lie. Poker face secure, he knew there was no way this guy could tell the difference between any normal person and a Sentinel or Guide. Kendricks stood up again. "I can look up your file, Detective, it wouldn't be difficult to find out."

"I'm surprised you didn't already, what with you guys being so efficient and all." When he was met with a blank look back, Danny gave in. "Fine, I'm his Guide. It makes no difference."

"If you aren't with him, then he's weakened. Besides, people die, no matter their abilities."

Danny rattled the cuffs, trying to pull himself free despite the futility. He did it completely out of anger and the desire to wrap his hands around the Agent's neck and choke him. He groaned in futility, his voice breaking slightly with emotion, and shortly after, he was left alone in the room. It was clear to him now that they planned to keep him here to stop him from interfering. The only problem was what would happen later and whether they would let him go or if nature was to take its course with him too.

* * *

Escaping thanks to the help of whistleblower-guy had been something quite fun. Knowing Steve was okay and coming in with Wo Fat, that he was closer, and that he was headed towards him, all conspired to make him a lot happier than he had been when tied to that chair. He'd enjoyed taking down the few agents around that guarded the building.

Jumping into the car and flooring it, he headed to the air field, not knowing what to expect when he got there since he was without his phone and suspected that, once again, he was going to need a new one. He was just happy that he wasn't going to need a new Sentinel. But the one coming back was going to be in for a severe talking to once the dust had settled. McGarrett wasn't going to get away with all this shit.

He was surprised that his joyfully constant headache hadn't appeased. That string he'd been imagining in his head for the past few weeks was loosened but it's painful side effects weren't. His vision swam slightly, but he put that down to the head knocks he'd had earlier and low blood sugar from not eating all day.

He saw the 'copter blades slowing their spins as he drove along the outskirts of the airfield and noted the flashing blue lights coming from the opposite direction. As he drove in with them, he knew the other black vans were not looking too friendly. Pulling out his gun as he got out of the car he announced their presence but hung back. His head wasn't right, he could feel it. His eyes were frustratingly slow and he didn't entirely trust his aim right now, but he trusted Chin's and Kono's and allowed them the lead on this. Once the guns were lowered, he took a breath and moved forward.

Their reuniting was low-key.

It had to be in front of all the people around them, but he knew in the way Steve said 'Book 'em, Danno' that he meant it as the term of endearment he insisted it was. Walking Wo Fat over to the cruiser was something he would happily do even if he was bleeding out, so he took the opportunity to do so, which allowed Kono and Chin time to welcome Steve back.

Danny's walk back over was slow. It was precise.

His head had begun to swim, like he'd been spun in circles and the world wasn't quite as flat as it once was. He took Steve's hand, gave in to the man hug which he used to try to steady himself, and then Steve reeled him in, keeping his hands on Danny as the team took a moment to deflate after what had happened over the day and just regroup, knowing everyone was safe.

That was when Danny pitched forward into Steve's chest.

Steve's arms tightened around him, his hands grasping at Danny's biceps holding him up. "Woah, Danny, what's wrong?"

"Fucking CIA," Danny moaned. "Did they drug me?"

"Danny," Steve growled as he let them both go down to the ground. He pulled Danny into his chest. Danny vaguely heard Chin say he'd get the EMTs, but his concentration was on Steve who moved his hands to Danny's face, pulling it up to look him straight in the eye. "Did someone do this to you? Who was it Danny? What happened?"

Danny giggled. No, he was too manly for that, at best it was a chuckle, yes a chuckle. Woah, did they give him some kind of happy pill? When did that happen? Sneaky CIA bastards! "Uhm," he began, trying to get his head back on straight. "CIA. Bag on head, warehouse, threats, hand cuffs…yeah." He waved his free hand, pretty sure that summed it up succinctly. Steve could make of it what he would.

Steve's eyes wrenched away from Danny's as he pulled him back in against himself, protecting him. Danny could feel Steve's head moving from side to side as if looking for the threat to his Guide. He patted Steve's thigh and shushed him.

"Not here, babe… ages ago, miles away…"

When the EMTs arrived they cautiously approached Steve with Chin's help. Steve looked at them with suspicion and refused to let go of his iron grip around Danny's waist, while his other hand hovered over the gun he had at his side. Danny didn't pay attention to any conversation. He just drifted, quite enjoying feeling snug in Steve's hold, and only jarred himself back to the world around him when he was lifted by Steve and taken to the ambulance so that he could be rushed to the hospital.


	3. Chapter 3

He'd been taken to a wing at the hospital that they reserved for those with heightened senses. Of course, all that really meant was they used much milder cleaning products, sound proofed the area better, and kept control over the light sources so as not to offend the senses of a Sentinel. Danny and Steve only ever knew this area of King's - they'd never even waited around the ER when coming in.

Danny lay on the bed, closer to one side. Steve had tugged his chair right up to be as close to Danny as possible without jumping into the bed with him. Instead, Steve had kept his hands on Danny, everywhere he thought was safe. He'd skirted over his arms, ducked under the hospital robe to his shoulders and abdomen. He'd laid his head over Danny's chest frequently just to hear his heart beat and to take in the scent of Danny to ground him.

The medical staff here were trained to deal with reactions like this, when Sentinels had to come in with injured Guides, and more often than not, got overprotective. Steve though, Steve had made a name for himself over the last few years. The state he was in when Danny was dosed with Sarin had practically made him into a legend around here. While here after returning from North Korea when Steve was getting a check up on his injuries, Danny had heard some nurses talking about it. The phrase, 'remember the time when…' had been uttered and Danny had decided vending machine coffee was overrated and had headed back to the safety of Steve's room… where he could keep an eye on him.

The good thing about this ward, was that every room was private. The wing was funded by the Sentinel Institute or the Guide Center, as many were in hospitals across the world, and they knew how to take care of their own.

He turned and looked at Steve. "What's the face for?"

"I missed you. I hadn't planned on spending tonight in a hospital."

Danny fought to clear his head again before he spoke. "Whatever you had planned, never would've happened anyway. What I planned… more important."

"Yeah?" Steve asked, expectantly.

"Yeah," Danny nodded and pointed at the other man. "Sleeping on the couch, for being stupid."

Steve took a breath to retaliate but they were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Guide Williams? Sentinel McGarrett?" the Doctor asked as she hesitantly came in, "I'm Doctor James. I'm a liaison from the Guide Center."

"From the Center? You got here quick," Steve said.

"I've been here for a few days. I was sent to be on hand for Detective Williams in case he needed help. We knew you'd been away from him for over a week at that point."

"I didn't ask for anyone to be sent," Danny frowned. He hadn't, he was sure of it. And he'd be pissed if the Governor had.

"We know. It was just precautionary and luckily for you, prudent."

"What's going on?" Steve asked, clearly out of the loop.

"I've been informed by the other members of your team that Detective Williams has been suffering from headaches since you left."

"Not true," Danny lifted his hand. "Just the one headache," he sighed, "one… never-ending headache."

"Indeed. And Detective Kelly hinted that you were aware of the term 'separation' being applied to it, on a recent trip to Los Angeles."

"You were in LA?!" Steve exclaimed, throwing his arm over Danny's chest.

"Sam says hi," Danny threw in. Steve growled at the mention of another Sentinel.

Before an argument could break out, The Doctor continued. "The symptoms do seem to lend themselves to the phenomenon. It's rare but it can happen if a Sentinel and Guide become separated from each other for a length of time. If you spend time apart after the bond between you has been at it's height it creates this condition, as if going from one extreme to the other is too much for the body to handle."

"I feel fine," Steve said. "I've held out on using my senses while away, kept them under control. Didn't want to zone without back up, but I've felt okay."

"It is a condition manifesting only in Guides. You had similar symptoms when you were still waiting for a bonded Guide, because a compatible Guide wasn't by your side. It's as if you already did your time in this department. Now the Guide feels the affects when you aren't around. We've tried to work out why, but nobody really knows."

"Are you telling me," Danny growled, "that because this numb-nut left to go to Japan without me, he caused this?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"What about the drug?"

"Oh, there's no drug in your system," she shook her head, clutching her clipboard to her chest. "It's all part of the Separation symptoms. The headache won't ease until the bond is reaffirmed, or 'reset', as it were. The feeling of euphoria you might be getting at the moment, that drugged up feeling? It's your body's way of making you more receptive to that bonding."

"In other words, I don't get to use the old headache excuse to get out of sex?"

"Quite," the doctor answered, blushing just a little. "If that's how you two… normally bond."

Danny turned to Steve and jabbed a finger at his chest. "This is _**your**_ fault!"

Steve didn't answer him. He'd been strangely quiet during the end of the conversation but Danny could see why now. And come to think of it, it was odd that despite the fuzziness to his vision and the way everything seemed to swim around him, Steve was crystal clear like he was grounding Danny through it. What the Doctor had said felt right to him, whether much of it could be proved in any scientific way or not, Danny was now resigned to the fact that whether he wanted to be mad at Steve and punish him or not, he was going to have to do all that later.

"Okay then," the Doctor spun away from them, dropped something on the tray table, and headed to the door. "Feel free to lock this from the inside, no one should bother you until breakfast. I'll put a sign up."

She pulled the door shut behind her and there was a silence that descended in the room. Steve's fingers played over Danny's chest and as Danny turned to face his Sentinel he could see a glazed look in his eyes. Steve was thinking about what they were about to do, he was getting lost in the thought of taking Danny apart in the hospital bed. Those bedroom eyes were lethal.

"Hey, hey," Danny almost shouted at him. "Don't get ahead of yourself, we have to talk."

"Danny, she said we need to do this to make you better. That's more important." Steve rose from the chair and put down the roll guard on the bed, allowing himself room to climb up on top of Danny.

Danny tried to back himself up against the pillows, sitting up more in the process, but Steve was on top of him and holding his body down, limiting his movements.

"I don't care, I've had this problem for weeks because of you, I can hold out longer."

"You don't have to," Steve's lips trailed over Danny's neck. "I'll make you all better, I promise."

"Steve, come on, I'm mad at you," he tried to fight it, but his body was responding and the happy juice it was making to help counter the separation was winning out.

Steve raised his head, lifted a hand to cradle Danny's face and looked earnestly into his eyes. "Make-up sex first, then you can yell at me, okay?"

It took Danny a moment or two, looking at Steve, wanting him and their connection. Then he could do little more than nod in tacit permission before lying back and letting Steve attack the barriers of clothing between them.

Danny's hospital gown was untied and shoved down out of the way. Steve lifted his shirt over his head and pushed his cargoes down as far as he could reach, not caring about them pooling below his knees, tangling in his boots.

He settled himself between Danny's legs, the hospital gown bunched around Danny's stomach was yanked out of the way and dropped on the floor, leaving Danny naked and Steve drinking in the sight of him.

If past encounters were anything to go by, Danny knew that Steve was taking the opportunity for their imprint, to once more see all of Danny, to map his body with eyes and hands and tongue, to see, touch and taste. He wanted to know every scar, old and new, he wanted to know where was smooth, where was course, the dip of his hips, the curve over his shoulders, the strength of his muscle. He lay over Danny again, letting more of his body feel Danny's and held his head by Danny's collarbone then down onto his chest, taking in Danny's scent, letting his tongue trail over hot skin, kissing, licking, biting.

It never took long for Danny to drift into pleasure when Steve was so focused on him like this. "Babe, please…"

At the sound of Danny's voice, Steve raised his head to look him in the eye. His hand cupped Danny's chin. "You ready for me to step this up?"

Danny found he could only nod as Steve raised himself to kneel and reached over to the tray table, picking up a sachet. So the Doctor had dropped a few packets of lube on the way out? Danny didn't know whether to be embarrassed or grateful, but landed on both.

He bent his knees, placing his feet flat on either side of Steve's thighs, opening himself up for Steve as his fingers began to play. Steve was an expert at reading Danny, he could see everything from him. He knew when to go slow, he knew when Danny was ready, he knew when Danny wanted more. It was with practiced ease that Steve gave a low growl, lifted Danny's legs, and eased into Danny's willing body.

They lay there after, breathless, with Steve lying on top and close to Danny despite the stickiness between them. During their come down, Steve was regulating his breathing to match that of his Guide's, bringing them back in tune with each other. It always settled his mind to do so. Danny could always tell that Steve was happy when he could do that and it felt right, as it finished the bonding process.

Danny adjusted his position as best he could under Steve's weight, moving an arm out from where it was trapped before it went numb on him. "Hey, jackass, you still got your boots on?" he scowled. Animal.

"Uh, yeah. Laces," he said in way of explanation, with a small shrug. Steve lifted himself up and shifted to sit so he could undo everything that was tangled at his ankles. Danny took the opportunity to close his eyes and relax, hoping his head would ease, the tension, the knot, the string would relax with him.

He wasn't sure how long he drifted, but then Steve's voice by his ear brought him back to himself with a jolt, despite it's whispering tone. "Hey, it's my turn," Steve murmured, his lips ghosting over Danny's ear and cheek.

"Steve, I'm tired," he moaned, though going by where Steve's hands were and how his body was responding, his excuse was weak.

Steve grinned against him, "You still got juices flowing, huh? Come on, Danny, turn about. It's only fair."

Steve lifted off and reached for another packet of lube and after leaning down for a quick kiss, he pushed back up to straddle Danny's thighs. He waved the lube with a smile and then ripped it open with his teeth. "Tell you what, baby, you just lie back and let me do all the work," he grinned.

Steve reached his hand back, tilted his head and Danny could only watch and gulp as he saw where Steve put his own fingers, preparing himself for Danny to enjoy and the thought of how it would feel was enough to make Danny harder.

He licked his lips. They could continue the make-up sex for a bit longer. He had been warned, after all, that them coming back together after being apart could be explosive. That was the impression he'd got.

This could go on all night…

* * *

Steve woke in the morning still plastered to Danny's side, his body pleasantly aching. His lips curled into a smile as he lay a few small kisses on the skin against him. Somehow in the night they'd found themselves spooned together. The small bed was unforgiving, but Steve never minded being so close to Danny.

He scooted back, doing his best not to awaken the other man and got to his feet. He padded around to find his pants and pulled them on, not bothering to zip them up as he was just headed to the bathroom anyway, his bladder being the main reason he woke up in the first place.

Coming back through to the room again, he sensed the movement on the other side of the door. His instincts kicked in and he got himself into a crouch, to defend the man still sleeping on the bed, as he picked up the sound of breathing, slightly agitated, from the other side of the door. It was the smell of someone clean, but with nothing so strong as to offend his senses. Just before the door pushed open a crack, he realized it was the Doctor from the night before.

Sensibly, she didn't push too hard. She eased the door open enough to see in, but made no move to encroach on their space.

"Commander McGarrett?" she asked, her voice quiet, low, non-threatening. "Can I come in? I just want to check everything is okay."

Steve cocked his head to the side. He knew she wasn't a threat, but her coming into the room would break into their space. They'd just reaffirmed the bond between them after being apart for two weeks, inviting someone else in meant the beginning of its weakening, even just slightly. He wasn't too sure he was ready for that yet.

"Down boy," came the gruff, sleepy voice from behind. "Let the nice lady in."

Steve turned, grabbing the seat from beside the bed and pulled it in to sit between Danny and the Doctor. He futzed with the bed clothes, making sure Danny was covered then laid his arm on Danny as the other man pulled himself up to sit and rubbed his tired eyes.

Danny took one look at Steve's face and his shoulders sagged. "Don't give me that look, we still have an argument to have. There's yelling still to happen, we need to get going."

Steve pouted but pulled himself together. Danny was right, they couldn't stay in their bubble, they had things to do, but sometimes it was so tempting. And he had to make things up to Danny properly for being away. Coddling him wasn't the answer. He couldn't just go from one extreme to the other. That was the kind of thing that had landed Danny in the hospital in the first place.

Danny looked up at Doctor James with a smile as she came around the bed to check him. "I'm sorry about him. It'll be no surprise for you to learn his spirit animal is a bloodhound."

"Loyal and strong," she smiled as she checked his vitals.

"That and the massive puppy dog eyes."

"Hey, I'm right here," Steve complained, though he didn't mind when Danny talked about him in a joyfully put upon way. It was comforting, and spoke of how much he cared.

"What about you?" She asked, keeping the conversation light as she worked. "What's your spirit animal?"

"Red fox," Danny answered.

"He can be a sneaky bastard," Steve smiled. "With a strong sense of family."

The Doctor was clearly amused, "Shouldn't you be hunting him?" she asked of Steve.

"You think he doesn't?" Danny laughed.

"I was," Steve smiled. "Then I caught him and I'm keeping him."

"Cute," she looked between them then composed herself. "Well, everything looks good. How's your head feeling?"

"Much better, thanks. I guess the diagnosis was the correct one. Does that mean we can get out of here?"

Doctor James nodded. "I'll get the paperwork organized while you get dressed."

* * *

Chin had brought the Camaro with him the night before and left it in the hospital car park for them. Steve had driven home, because he liked to drive, and Danny hadn't made any move to take the keys from him.

The ride had been quieter than Steve was expecting, but that didn't mean it was a good thing. It meant Danny was saving his yelling for once they were safely at home and wouldn't attract attention to themselves.

Once in the door, Steve threw the keys onto the table. Danny leaned against the side of the couch and rubbed his eyes.

Danny cleared his throat. "You left."

"Yeah," Steve nodded. "Please tell me you understand why."

Danny looked over to him. "I read your letter. It was pretty vague but I can guess the rest."

"When we met," Steve began to explain, "the biggest worry you had was me going off on a mission and needing you with me. That you'd be forced to work in some far flung country and you'd never see Grace. Or that you'd be killed by terrorists and Grace would lose her father."

"Of course I worried about that!" Danny's voice began to rise. "And rightly so, because you're a Navy SEAL! But this? This wasn't a mission, Steve! This was all you!"

"It's the same thing, Danny! Shelburne can answer so many questions. Dealing with Shelburne quickly means I can put it behind me and we can move on with our lives!"

"Dealing with Shelburne won't bring back your father! Or your mother."

"Danny," Steve warned, he never liked it when Danny assumed it was his issues with his parents that colored everything he did.

"No, no. It doesn't change things and hell, it might make them worse. And why didn't you think I'd not go with you, huh? Or that I deserved to know _**where**_ the hell you were going? You didn't give me a chance!"

"There was no decision to make! Grace needs you, you had to stay with her, end of story."

"Not 'end of story'!" Danny stormed up to Steve and poked him in the chest. "Who the hell went to North Korea to get your sorry ass back? I let you go on your own then. With Jenna, not me, and look what happened!"

"That was different-"

"IT'S EXACTLY THE SAME!" Danny yelled and then silence was between them. "You just didn't trust me enough to tell me what was going on. I had no clue where you were this time, I had to work it out for myself. What, did you think I'd blab to the wrong people and Shelburne would find out you were after him?"

Steve caved at the look of defeat on Danny's face. The hurt. "No, no, Danny no. I couldn't tell you because… because I couldn't… I couldn't face leaving you and you thinking I might not come back. I've never had to leave people behind before."

"So instead, you decided to leave me, with no knowledge at all. I had no idea where you were, who you were with, who was watching your back. I didn't know if anyone would be able to tell me if you were dead. Do you have any idea how that feels? Confused and angry doesn't even begin to cover it."

"I'm sorry."

"You didn't even call."

"It was safer."

"Bullshit, you were being a goddamn selfish coward."

Steve folded in on himself as he sat with a thump on the armchair. He leaned forward, his head in his hands. "I'm sorry."

"You make it a point to know every detail of my life, and I tell you. Then you go and do this. You don't think I feel the same way? I want to protect you just as much as you want to protect me. This isn't the stone age anymore, Sentinels and Guides are equal. Partners are equal. The two of us have always been equal." Danny sighed and raised a hand to Steve. "I don't even want to look at you right now."

He stomped off into the kitchen and Steve could hear the fridge door open and close and the low click and hiss of a beer being opened.

He strained his ears out and couldn't hear anything else except Danny's raised heart beat and breathing. He'd definitely opened the beer but he wasn't drinking it. He gave it a few minutes, listening out intently as Danny's heart slowed and then he made his way to the kitchen, hanging back in the doorway.

"Danny, I didn't mean to make you feel like I don't… appreciate you. Trust you."

Danny shook his head, he never met Steve's eyes. "You barreled into my life out of nowhere and made it a point to stick around, whether I wanted you to or not. Maybe it shouldn't be such a shock that you could abandon it just as abruptly."

"What?" Steve moved right over to Danny. He didn't care if Danny's body language signaled that he wanted to be left alone, he gathered him into his arms. "You don't get rid of me that easily, trust me on that. I can't function without you and not just because you're my Guide."

"Then do you see why it was so stupid that you left without me?"

"Yeah, Danny I get it, I do."

"There's something the matter with you, you know that."

"I know, I'm working on it." Steve pulled back and looked at Danny, while he ran a hand down his arm to clasp into one of his hands. "Are we okay?"

Danny frowned at him. "You do not get forgiven so easily. It's still pending. Do not give me that face. You've got a lot of making up to do. Two weeks worth of it."

Steve smiled and sidled closer. "I think I can manage that."

"Hey, hey!" Danny slapped his arms away. "Not like that. I was thinking more like a raise, or some decent hazard pay for the shit I've had to put up with recently. And you have to rehearse with Grace for her school play, as often as she thinks she needs to."

Steve crinkled his nose. "What play is it?"

"Peter Pan. She's playing Wendy. So you will help her and chase your shadow around the room as much as she likes." Danny finally smiled. "And if she says you're to wear tights to better get into the role, then so be it."

Danny patted Steve on the arm, grabbed his beer and made his way back into the living room.

Somewhere in that, Steve knew he just got played. As serious as the argument was, and he knew he had to seriously make up for what he'd done, he also got played. But then, he wouldn't have it any other way.


	4. Chapter 4

If Steve didn't have years of training as a Navy SEAL, a Sentinel or the leader of Five-0, he wondered if he would have killed someone by now out of sheer frustration.

Joe White wandered back into his life, all because Steve now had Wo Fat captured and in jail. Despite lying to him for months, he'd decided to finally tell Steve that they could go together to meet Shelburne.

After all this time, there was some honesty, and finally he might get to put the past to rest with some real answers. Wo Fat's capture may have facilitated it, but there was no reason he wasn't told more of this sooner.

Their case, Fryer's death, had come in between that. Then finding out that Step-Stan got a new contract in Las Vegas and wanted everyone to uproot again made other issues in his personal life move to the side.

As much as he wanted resolution from the Shelburne side of things, he was putting Danny first right now and not just because he'd abandoned his Guide for two weeks, but because Danny had been right - finding Shelburne wouldn't bring back his family, and what he had to do right now was protect the one he had. Grace shouldn't be made to move. Just as Danny shouldn't have to move to be with Grace, Steve shouldn't have to move to be with Danny. It was all a vicious circle and they had to knock it on the head, now.

Danny had still been hurting from being left behind, but at least he had finally opened up to Steve about the custody issues and they could make their case together. Steve was confident that if they brought in a lawyer from the Sentinel Institute or the Guide Center then they'd win their case, and he'd look into that as soon as their lives calmed down for a moment.

Joe came to his office and asked him again to go with. He wasn't sure for a moment, but then picked up the phone and called Danny. He knew his Guide had gone to see Grace, so when there was no answer, he decided he'd call back in a little bit rather than leaving a message.

He packed a bag quickly from what he had on hand at the office and followed Joe out. Before boarding their plane, he called again and finally reached the man.

"Danny, I don't have long, I need to catch a plane."

"You're doing what now?"

"Joe's taking me to Shelburne. I can't miss this opportunity."

"Wait, when does the plane leave? I'll be right there."

"It's okay, Danny, it'll just be for a day or two. Just a quick hop to Japan then I'll be right back, I promise. I'll call when I arrive and everything."

"Steve, we talked about this. You leaving again wasn't supposed to happen. What if I get sick again?"

"I don't think you will, it's not like we did stuff quite that recently. Look, you've got Grace with you, have some father-daughter time and you'll barely miss me. I'll be right back, I promise."

"If you go off the grid I swear I will kick your ass so hard you'll wind up in Europe."

"The only time I won't be in contact is when I'm in the air. The rest of the time I promise, if you call, I will answer. Or I'll call you to chat even if it's the middle of the night there."

"You better."

"I love you."

"Yeah, Danno loves you, too."

Steve sighed as he hung up, then turned to see Joe and followed him on.

* * *

Grace had picked up on Danny's sadness and annoyance pretty quickly, and knowing her Uncle Steve as she did, she asked straight away what he'd done. Danny didn't lie to his daughter and so he told her that Steve had gone to see someone in Japan and Danno missed him because he was gone.

They watched a movie together, had a nice dinner and then Danny took Grace home to Rachel's. With Steve gone, even on just a short trip, he knew it was better to be on hand in case Five-0 were needed. Besides, although he shouldn't, he felt bad for having to fight Rachel over everything and wanted to put out the olive branch that he was very much considering both her and Grace in everything he was doing. That included making sure that Grace was well cared for if he had to work.

He pulled back up into their own driveway and immediately knew something was wrong. He didn't know what, but there was definitely something…

His gun was locked up in the house because he never liked to have it out when he was with Grace, and he'd only just popped out to take her home so he didn't think to take it with him. He opened the trunk and went through Steve's supplies that were kept in there, which included a small sidearm. He grabbed it, checked it for ammo and cocked it ready.

He reached the front door and everything still seemed fine, despite the bad feeling he had. He unlocked it and slowly pushed it open. Entering, he realized the alarm hadn't been set and cursed himself, even though it was just supposed to be a short trip, he should have set it. But that wasn't the reason that things seemed wrong.

He'd left the lights on. That was it. But now they were off. Why were the lights off? He reached out and flicked the switch.

There was nothing out of place. Everything seemed fine. He didn't hear anything out of the ordinary, he couldn't see anything. His only clue that something was amiss was that he was positive he'd left the lights on.

He cleared the lower rooms carefully then made his way slowly up the stairs. It was when he reached their bedroom that he was proved right but he had no time to say anything or help himself. He should have made a call from outside, or from downstairs, to get help. It was too late for that now.

As hands came to grab him, they wrapped around his chest, pinning his arms down. Another person grabbed for the gun before it could go off, and despite his best efforts to throw the two men from him, which included getting a connection with someone's knee, a third man came closer and then he felt the prick of a needle at his neck.

A few moments later he lost control of his limbs and they turned to dead weights. He collapsed back against the first guy who had grabbed him.

"Little shit's stronger than he looks," one of them said.

"We got him, that's the main thing. Gotta get back to the boss before this stuff wears off."

"What… Steve?" Danny's head was beginning to swim. He knew he'd be out of it completely soon, but he wanted to know who these people were before he was taken away by them. Right now the only advantage he had was being in his own home. Soon enough everything would be wrong.

"Sorry, mate," this guy had an accent. British, if it mattered. "Been keeping tabs on you and your man and he's buggered off again without you. Not a good idea. But even I'll admit I didn't want to have to take on a Sentinel."

"Who?" was all he could manage in his fading headspace.

"You'll find out soon enough, little Guide."

* * *

Joe left Steve at the door and he knocked.

Seeing his mother on the other side of the threshold floored him. For a moment he thought he might zone out, but he hadn't used his enhanced senses so it couldn't be a zone. It felt like one as his stomach dropped, his mind went blank and he had that feeling of being overwhelmed.

They stood for long moments, taking in the sight of each other before his mother reached out for him and pulled him in.

He was stunned, to say the least. This was his mother standing before him, touching him, reaching out to him, but she had died. She was dead. How could she be Shelburne? What did it all mean? Who was Shelburne, really? What had Shelburne done?

Who was his mother?

They sat. They talked. Steve tried to make sense of things.

His mother was a Sentinel. He'd always known that, he also knew that his father wasn't her Guide, but growing up he'd never actually questioned anything about who was, or if she had a Guide or not. He just thought she was a regular mom and it was just his and Mary's luck that she could tell what they were up to from further away than other moms could.

But she wasn't a teacher, she was CIA. And she hadn't died in a car crash, that was some kind of attempt to get her enemies off her back and protect her children. What she hadn't realized was that it had messed him and Mary up. Both in different ways but still messed up. It had done the same to their father.

Steve's abilities had manifested not long after her 'death' and he'd had to deal with those as well. As the years passed he got bogged down in work and didn't form close relationships with anyone. He didn't even have a permanent Guide and he thought that was some kind of inherent familial thing. He didn't know of any Guide for his mother, so he'd pushed through. It was only later in his career that the Institute began to worry for him. Despite his track record, they were worried he'd zone in a way no one could bring him out of.

They were right, in many respects. No one but his true Guide was able to bring him out of the worst zone he'd ever had. Meeting Danny had changed his life and he felt that he was beginning to function better as a person. As Danny would put it, his 'mammal to mammal' interactions were much better nowadays.

He wished Danny was with him right now. He'd be able to help him through the muddle in his brain. It may not truly be mushed in a zone way, but his Guide was more than that to him. Danny would be able to help because they were partners, and they loved one another.

"What are you thinking about?" his mother asked, when he'd been quiet for a while.

"I'm just trying to wrap my head around things."

Her head lifted, concerned. "You're not going to zone are you?"

"No, I'm not going to zone," he said. "Danny would have a fit."

"Danny?" Realization dawned on her face. "Danny Williams, your Guide."

"How'd you…?"

"Joe told me. He keeps me up to date on you and Mary."

"I didn't know that you and Joe knew each other so well, even before…"

"Joe's my Guide, well..." she weighed up how to say it. "I've had two permanent Guides while I was with the CIA. They both died. Joe is low-level, we're not really compatible so he isn't able to make a full bond with me, but I've only had him around for so long that I think of him as my Guide."

"You've had two Guides? I can't imagine losing Danny."

She looked at him sadly. "You don't want to." He wasn't sure if she meant he didn't want to try imagining or he didn't want to have to go through losing Danny, but either way, she was right. The thoughts alone were too painful.

"Speaking of, I need to get home. I told Danny I wouldn't be gone long, and we don't want to risk going through separation again like he did before. I need to get back to him. I can help you pack and we can get out of here."

"Steve, I can't go back to Hawaii. I'm here for a reason."

"You're here because it's like being in witness protection but Wo Fat is in Halawa, he's not a threat to you anymore. It's time to go home."

She took her time to decide, but in the end agreed to go back with Steve. While she packed, he tried to call Danny but got his voicemail. He checked the time and realized it was late, he was probably in bed and just had the phone on vibrate while it charged. He'd be back soon enough. They could live without this phone call.

* * *

When they reached the airport in Japan, Steve knew this was his last chance to let Danny know he was on his way home. He tried again and got voicemail once more. Now it was stranger, as it was morning in Honolulu and Danny should be up and with his phone. Or he should have seen the earlier missed call and got in touch with Steve.

He frowned at his phone then decided to try the others in his team. Maybe Danny had broken his phone somehow.

First Chin, and then Kono, and both went to voicemail too.

His mother gave him a worried look. "Something wrong?"

"None of my team are picking up their phones."

"Maybe they're busy."

Steve shook his head. "Busy or not, they take my calls." On a whim he tried to call Max. Hopefully the other man was out of the hospital by now.

"Hello? Commander McGarrett?" Max's wary voice answered.

"Max, hey, finally. What's going on back there, no one is picking up their damned phones."

"Oh, well it's understandable in the circumstances."

"What circumstances, Max? Tell me. Quickly."

"I'm not good at high pressure situations."

Steve took a breath. "I'm not mad, Max, I just need to know what's going on. I left Honolulu after we finished the case, I don't know what's happening."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't real is you were away, Commander. Chin is with Malia, she is in surgery but I've heard it doesn't look good. Kono is down the hall being treated."

"Danny?" Steve's stomach dropped like a stone as Max told the story backwards. Something _had_ happened.

"I'm sorry, Commander. No one knows where he is."

"What do you mean - no one knows?" Steve's voice was rising along with his panic. He looked around himself, even though it was futile to do so. He was in another country and something had happened to his team. His mother rested a hand on his shoulder, he could tell she was listening in with her enhanced hearing.

"Detective Kelly was forced to free Frank Delano from prison, both Malia and Officer Kalakaua were threatened and used as leverage. Once HPD got word, they sent a car to your house. There were signs of a struggle. That's all I know, Commander."

"Okay, Max, listen to me. I'm getting on a plane right now, I have a satellite phone with me. You call the minute anything happens, and stay with everyone, okay? I'll be right there."

Steve had been pacing the tarmac, but the moment he hung up, he forgot everything else in the world and bounded up the steps of the plane and spoke to the Captain, letting him know the situation. The consolation in having borrowed the plane, with Joe's influences, meant that it was at their beck and call to begin with. Now it was designated to bring Shelburne to Hawaii, but Steve was using it to get home to his family, so he could get them back.

He only sat for take-off. As soon as he could he paced the plane like a caged animal.

He ran through everything that had happened lately and the only thing he could come up with was to blame Joe White for everything. He'd taken him away from Danny again to find his mother and while he was gone this had happened? Had he been there, he knows he could have prevented it. Had they waited just an hour or so longer for Danny to go with them, then he'd know exactly where his Guide was. Safe. Sound. Within touching distance.

Not long ago he'd been speaking to his mother about losing a Guide. He refused to think of this in the same vein. it was bad enough making himself believe that someone had dared to take Danny, to steal him away, it was entirely another to think he could lose Danny, that his Guide would die.

His mother reached out to him and he snarled in response.

"Steve, he's a police officer, he knows the risks. He also knows people will look for him."

"He's my Guide, I won't lose him, I can't lose my Guide, my Danno."

She grabbed his shoulders and looked closely at him, frowning, confused by what she saw. "What is this? Steve, how close did you really get to your Guide?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've not just fully bonded have you? You're in love with him?"

He looked at her like she was stupid. "Of course I am! He's my true Guide!"

"Steven, you don't have to fall in love with your Guide, not even for a full bond, they must have taught you that."

"When Danny and I met, we knew it was going this way."

She snorted, disbelieving. "This is a big mistake, Steve. You don't fall in love with colleagues, you don't fall in love with someone who is there, essentially, to work for you, he's below you."

Steve couldn't believe what he was hearing. The notion that a Guide was secondary to their Sentinel was something of times gone by. Sure, it still existed, but like any prejudices, it was one that was being fought against. He was shocked that his mother could have an opinion that seemed so backward to him. He'd met many Guides in his time, all capable for their level. The military ones did just as much as the Sentinels, just as much as regular people. You couldn't fault them for their diligence, their loyalty, their sense of duty and honor, not to mention their talent.

"I may be the leader of Five-0, but Danny is my partner, we're equal." He tried to give her an out, but she didn't take it.

"You know what I mean, Steven. He's your Guide. He's your support. Yes, it's important but I know you went years without a permanent Guide. Important is not the be all and end all of your life or career."

"Danny is my Guide, yes. He's my _true_ Guide and I for one cannot live without him and not for just one reason but for many. I need him."

They both turned when they registered the small whining coming from the back corner of the plane. With Steve's heightened emotional state, his spirit animal had come to him, it too incredibly worried about Danny. The poor creature's sad eyes looked at both of them, pawed the ground and whined, offering up the occasional howl. Steve could only liken the sound to the pain he was feeling inside, how it echoed in his empty chest.

* * *

He kept in touch as much as he could while on the plane, his worry increasing with the news and not abating. Kono would be fine. She'd almost drowned, but Adam Noshimuri had been able to save her, and though she'd needed checked out because she'd breathed in too much sea water, she was released sometime while Steve was mid flight.

Chin was still at the hospital. He was with Max, who had accompanied him to make sure Malia's body was well taken care of. Steve mourned Chin's loss. He felt terrible to have lost one of their extended family, but what made his chest hurt more was that errant thought that he was so glad it wasn't Danny that was lying dead in the morgue. He felt incredibly guilty that he wasn't in Chin's position, that he hadn't lost the love of his life.

Not yet.

He was going to find Danny.

Kono picked them up from the airport. Doris, he refused to call her mother right now after her remarks earlier, was relegated to the backseat while Steve drove and Kono filled him in as best she could. Steve had fielded a call with the Governor, who probably didn't mean to make his life more difficult, but was getting in his way. He didn't care about the circumstances of Delano getting out, nor did he care that the Governor only wanted Delano back in jail and someone held accountable for his escape purely for PR's sake.

Steve wanted Delano dead for killing Malia. For almost killing Kono.

For taking Danny.

Because he knew Delano was behind it before he even set foot in his house. He also knew Delano would send his goons to do the job of getting Danny. Hopefully they'd left behind clues that only Steve could follow. He'd go through that house piece by piece, he'd systematically use his senses to work out what happened, then he'd go get Danny back and kill the sons of bitches who dared mess with them.


	5. Chapter 5

Danny woke with a jerk. It surprised him to come to so quickly after being drugged, but something warned him to do so, and he brought his head up quickly, a dizziness waving over him at the sudden movement.

He was in a room with dank, cement walls looming around him, a reinforced door in front and no windows. He was tied to a chair in the center, and there was only a dirty mattress in the corner for company.

The rope around his legs was tight, and the zip ties on his wrists dug into his flesh. There was no way he was attempting a Jersey slip on anything here. He just had to hold out for the opportunity to get free some other way.

The creaking of a heavy handle came from the other side of the door, and it was pushed open with a metallic thud to reveal two men, one with massive muscles and what looked like a damned hard chest. Standing beside him was a man who should be in prison. A man he'd seen in prison only what? A day ago?

"You're awake I see."

"Frank Delano. Shouldn't you be rotting in Halawa?"

"I'll be honest with you," Delano began circling the chair, giving it a wide berth, "I wasn't particularly enjoying it in there. Thought I'd try a change of scenery."

"Oh yeah? So where are we then?"

Delano wagged a finger at Danny, "Nice try, but I'm not telling you anything."

"I'm not telling you anything either, Frank. I don't know what's going on but I can tell you that it was a stupid idea."

"Oh, you mean because your task force buddies are going to come storming in here to rescue you? See, that's not going to happen. McGarrett flew away. I believe it was to Japan. Chin Ho Kelly is currently mourning the death of his wife. And Kono, last I was aware, she was lying in a hospital bed after nearly drowning. So tell me, Daniel, who is going to come here for you?"

Delano finished by crouching low enough to look at Danny with a wry smile on his face. Danny knew he could read everything in his expression, that his eyes had dropped at the revelation, that he was trying to work out if it was truth or lies, if it was even possible that their world was crumbling around them. And if so, what was Danny doing here? Why wasn't he dead?

"I'm not that bad a man," Delano pointed to himself. "You have a daughter, you love her. I'm not going to threaten her, or hurt her. I'm not even going to take her daddy away from her. Don't worry, Detective. You get to live."

"What do you want?"

"You. I want you." He reached out and touched Danny's chest. "You are a powerful Guide. I need that. You've had a good little practice with McGarrett. I know he's got all five senses going on, so you'll be well prepared. You're lucky, with me you only really have to worry about my sight and my touch."

Danny looked incredulously at Delano. "You want me to be your Guide?"

"It's sweet, isn't it? I get to really stick it to McGarrett by stealing you away from him, and I get to put a knife into the heart of Five-0 at the same time by taking one of the most talented Detectives on this Island into my crew. It's like poetry, really it is."

Danny couldn't help but laugh. "Are you serious? Steve and I are bonded. And you and I might not even be compatible."

"I can tell that we are. I've known for quite some time. Ever since Five-0 put me behind bars, as a matter of fact. "

"I can't just switch to someone else. It's not that easy," he tried.

"Of course it's not that easy. Not for you since you are currently bonded, but there are ways, and means. You know that."

Danny gulped as the penny dropped. No, he wouldn't. But then, the man was a dirty ex-cop, he'd been in Halawa, god knows what they do in there for fun. He was one of the worst criminals he'd met on this island. Why should this be something he wouldn't do?

"You're going to… force…"

"We're going to start by scrubbing you and take it from there. I know just how 'bonded' you and McGarrett are. I don't want to have to go that far but if you leave me no choice then I will. After all, I just got out of prison. I saw a lot of sick things in there, it gives a man ideas."

He ran a hand down Danny's face, no doubt getting a lot from him by the touch alone.

He pulled back. "Untie his legs, get him next door and get the hoses on him."

* * *

Danny curled up on himself as much as possible as he lay on the wet floor, soaked to the skin. Two other men had joined the first. He recognized all three as those who had broken into his and Steve's home to get him. Together, they'd turned two high powered hoses on him and his skin stung from the battering of the water. He'd seen water canons used to scatter rioters before, and he now knew what it felt like to face down the harsh spray.

His arms, still zip tied behind him, had made it almost impossible to ward himself against the water and sometime during the assault, he'd collapsed onto the ground, his clothes hanging off him, his knees drawn up to protect himself.

He shivered. The water had felt freezing. It still did, as he felt the small puddle against his cheek where he lay on the ground.

He knew there would be bruising from the power of the jets. The pain had taken his breath from his lungs as it had hit his stomach. His body had no protection except for a thin cotton shirt and pair of slacks. His shoes had already been taken from him before.

His eyes were closed as he tried to quell the juddering shivers. He listened out as Delano's goons moved around the place but so long as they weren't coming near him, he really didn't care.

His respite didn't last long. There was a pair of hands tugging at him, bringing him upright and forcing his shirt and pants open. He looked up at the big guy and knew there was no way he could take him unless he had surprise on his side, or could come up with a decent plan.

The man tugged on his arms and he felt the sudden release as the blood flowed freely back into his hands. He grimaced at the feeling while the big guy brought his shirt sleeves down and off. Once the top half of his body was naked, hands yanked at his trousers, pulling them down along with his underwear, and despite Danny's protests, pulled them away, leaving Danny naked on the wet floor.

"What are you doing?" Danny asked, worried and feeling more vulnerable now.

"Boss says to get you scrubbed. Only way to make sure he's not on you."

In principle, Danny knew what was going on. But he hadn't gone through the system for training Guides, so he didn't know if there was some proper way to un-bond a Sentinel and Guide, and he'd never asked. But the principle that Delano was going with, he was beginning to understand. Especially when the two other goons, the foreign guys, came back in with scrubbing brushes, scourers, loofahs and bottles of soaps.

They were going to give Danny the cleaning of his life, to take any hint of Steve's marking of him away so that Steve wouldn't be able to use his senses to find Danny if he got close. He looked at one of the bottles as it was dropped in front of him. It wasn't Center approved, but some store bought generic brand with a heavy scent to it; one that wouldn't matter to Delano as his sense of smell was no better than Danny's. Not only would they take away any trace of himself Steve left behind on Danny, but they'd overpower Danny's own scent so Steve couldn't track him his normal way.

True to his spirit animal, Steve excelled at tracking, and he did so with very keenly developed senses of smell and sight. He had all five of his senses enhanced as a Sentinel, but those two were the ones he favored. Touch and taste would be useless for finding Danny, now he just had to hope he could do something to alert Steve's hearing.

The three pairs of hands grabbed at him, moved him around, gave him little choice in what was happening. The freezing cold water they'd already attacked him with had made his limbs difficult to move through his shivers and shakes. He found himself actually longing for the Hawaiian sun but the only light in this room came from a single bulb high above their heads.

His skin was abused by the brushes they were using, and they showed complete disregard for the pain they caused him as his skin turned red from their ministrations. They worked over his belly and up onto his chest, scrubbing hard over his nipples, chafing them so much that they began to bleed, the pain from the slight tearing was more incredible than he'd thought it could be.

Then the guy he recognized with the accent reached down to his private parts and cupped him.

Danny looked at him, worried over what he might do. He fondled Danny, looked up at him and wiggled his eyebrows. He was trying to get Danny aroused as he touched him. How far he would take this, Danny didn't know. He had no idea if Delano knew, or if he'd allowed them to do what they wanted with Danny and it scared him.

But no matter what, looking down and seeing someone who wasn't Steve touching him was the biggest turn off he could imagine. It made him feel nauseous and disgusted. When the man didn't get the response he'd hoped for, he tightened his grip and grabbed one of the smaller, but still course, brushes. Danny's eyes widened in anticipation of the pain that was about to come and he cried out as the guy took no care, and scrubbed at him like he was sanding down floorboards.

The man laughed. "I think this area is the one McGarrett touches the most. Gotta give it some extra attention."

They'd scrubbed him so hard his skin felt red raw and he knew there were welts in more sensitive areas, like under his arms, and there was a trail of blood over his chest and stomach that hadn't stopped, even after they'd turned the hoses on him again. They'd shampooed his hair and sprayed him down with a whole can of deodorant that stung his abused skin and had a really overpowering smell that assaulted his nostrils, so god knows how it would affect a Sentinel like Steve.

They'd dragged him away and brought him back to his original room and the three of them walked away as Danny watched their boots land in the drip trail. They'd dumped him, and he was thankful to not be lying on a pool of cold water and soap scum, but the ground was still dirty and cold and he was still shivering.

He eyed the dirty mattress a few feet away but he didn't move towards it. Seeking out that small comfort felt like giving in and he refused to do that.

A soft padding of feet made him look up and there was his spirit animal, head bowed, sadly making its way over to him. It lay down nearby and cushioned its head on its paws as it lay looking at him. Small mewing sounds escaped it as the poor fox shivered along with Danny.

His voice was hoarse as he spoke to it. "He'll come for me. Right?"

The fox raised its head and looked a Danny. A paw came up towards him then back to the ground as it once more got comfortable at Danny's side. He could only interpret the pointing move as one thing: Danny had to try and get himself out of this mess.

* * *

He'd passed out. The reason he was woken was to once again be tugged into place by the big Hawaiian native that Delano was using for muscle. He was forced back into a chair and tied with ropes binding his arms and legs tightly.

Delano came in, smoking a cigar and hefting a golf club over one shoulder. He looked Danny up and down. "Well, if it comes to it…" he said with a shrug. It wasn't overtly sexual but sitting there naked and exposed, Danny knew it meant Delano would force himself on him if he thought he had to for a bonding.

Danny tried to pull his knees together but there was no give in the ropes and he couldn't.

"Why the club?" he asked. "Didn't t-take you for a g…golfer." His voice was still affected by the cold in his body.

"One of the boys found it in the trash nearby, thought I'd put it to some use." He crouched in front of Danny and leaned on the golf club that was bracing him on the floor. "Let's talk, shall we? You're clean of McGarrett so really, we ought to get to sorting out our own bond."

"It's not that s… simple. Even I kn… know that. It's emotional. I can't… I can't just bond again."

Delano nodded his head. "You're still clinging to the idea that he'll ride to your rescue. I thought you would. I knew you wouldn't make it easy on yourself." He moved in a little closer. "To be honest, I was rather hoping you'd put up a fight."

Delano got to his feet again and Danny watched him carefully the whole time, bracing his body, wondering what was about to happen. Delano held the cigar between his teeth, he twirled the golf club in his hands and then swung back, bringing it down hard on Danny's right knee.

Danny screamed out in pain. His right knee was the one with the bad ACL. It was much more susceptible to injury and there was no doubt that the force of the hit had done some serious damage to him. He tried to breathe through it as his head fell forward, his eyes closing tightly, his teeth clenching and whining noises being forced out of his body every time he breathed out. He felt a desperate need to try moving his knee, but his legs were too well bound that he couldn't do so and that was when the club came down again on his other knee. Somehow it didn't feel as bad but the pain was still enough to force another cry from him.

He breathed hard. He wanted to reach out and touch, to assess the damage, but there was no way he could do it. When he was finally able to look up, he noticed Delano holding the end of the putter away from the shaft of the club.

"Huh," he said. "Guess we know why it was in the trash then." He threw the head of the putter out of the room and traced down Danny's left leg with the sharper end of the metal shaft. He was incredibly worried what was about to happen and he braced himself, even though something inside was telling him to try and relax.

The metal came down again across both his thighs. It stung, but the pain wasn't at the same level as his knees, those were still throbbing away, bone-deep pain, taking his attention. A few more times, the metal club rained down blows over his thighs and where the cut in the metal was sharp, Delano ran it over the skin of both legs, breaking him open, making him bleed in criss-cross patterns.

With tears in his eyes, Danny kept his head hung, refusing to let Delano know how much pain he was in, despite the cries he had made, the yelling that had been brought forth with each hit and the tearing of his flesh. His chin was lifted by the butt of the club and Delano's calm measured face met his own. His own breathing was ragged and more noticeable to his own ears when faced with Delano's easy demeanor.

"Well?" Delano asked, smoke from the cigar blowing into Danny's face.

Danny did his best to harden his expression and gritted out, "I'm bonded. To Steve McGarrett."

"McGarrett isn't coming for you, Daniel. He left you. Again. He's too wrapped up in himself to know or care about what's happened to you. He's using you, Daniel. Using you like Sentinels have used Guides for generations. You're beneath him. A servant. A slave."

"I'm bonded to Steve McGarrett," Danny repeated, refusing to listen.

Delano used the sharp metal of the broken club and prodded it into Danny's side, pushing it to break the skin. Danny sucked in his stomach, trying to stop it from going further but Delano kept pushing. "He's left you alone. He's not coming. He doesn't care."

"I'm bonded…" The club pushed again into his side, cutting him off.

Delano caused more pain in Danny's abdomen, moving it slightly to the side and pushing once again. "He's gone. He left you. You mean nothing to him." He ran the metal down the center of Danny's chest, skin breaking again.

Danny clenched his jaw, trying not to let the pain get to him.

"He's gone. He left you. He doesn't care."

"I'M BONDED TO STEVE MCGARRETT." He yelled it and then Delano stopped.

When Danny was able to meet Delano's eyes again, the man looked back at him, eyes darkened, and voice low. He handed off the club to one of the foreign boys, always keeping his eyes on Danny as he flicked the ash from his cigar into Danny's legs. "Heat it up," he ordered.

* * *

Danny cried out, hoarse, voice protesting, as the soft side of his wrist was branded with the heated club. Delano had turned it into a hot poker, the metal so hot as to sizzle his skin as it burned into him. He twisted the metal up from Danny's wrist towards his elbow and beyond, never caring about the sounds issuing from Danny's mouth.

"He doesn't want you, Daniel, but I do. I can make you rich, we can do a lot - you and I. You can make all this pain stop, you just have to let go of McGarrett and accept me."

"No," he all but whispered. A moment later he was screaming in pain again as Delano moved the red hot metal to his other wrist and let it journey upwards as well. Danny could do nothing, his arms were completely immobile behind his back and he was too scared to move them in case it just made more of his body hit against the heat.

He could swear he could smell his own charring flesh as he sobbed. His body was wracked, pain erupting in different parts of him. He was exhausted from crying out and from trying to breathe through the ordeal. Tears were streaming down his face, he knew that he'd been drooling from the sobbing. And weirdly, his major thought was on how thirsty he was, how dry his throat.

The metal shaft was waved in front of his face, he could feel the heat from it. He tried to focus on Delano in front of him but it was difficult in his current state.

"Well, Daniel?"

"Just kill me," he tried to say, knowing it was mumbled.

"Not going to do that, Daniel. You're important to me now, you're going to be my Guide, you just need to accept it. Open yourself up to bonding with me."

Danny shook his head, then regretted it as he felt dizzy and sore. "I'm bonded to Steve McGarrett," came out once again in a mumble.

"Very well, Daniel," Delano reached up and cupped Danny's face, making Danny wince as he was moved. "You're holding on incredibly strong to your previous Sentinel, so I'm just going to have to do this another way. Get some rest, and tomorrow we'll try again."

He pulled a pocket knife out and untied Danny's legs and arms. He motioned for the goons to come forward and they lifted him from the chair and threw him over onto the mattress. Danny sobbed as he was moved, as the burns on his arms and the cuts and welts on his thighs and chest slid onto the coarse material.

He moved gingerly onto his back as the metal door closed with a ring of finality, leaving him alone. They turned out the solitary light bulb and the room was plunged into darkness. With no windows, he had no clue how long he'd been there, how long Delano had been torturing him or how long he'd passed out at various times.

He was still holding on to the thought that Steve was going to come for him, that it had all been lies about Chin and Kono and that with Danny missing the troops would be rallied, Steve would get himself home quickly and they'd come for him.

He could barely move his right leg, his left was not far behind. He was too scared to touch his arms and he knew there was dried blood all over his chest, stomach and thighs. He was scared for himself, not knowing what Delano would devise for another round. He didn't know how much longer he could hold out, or how much longer Delano would stay patient and determined to make Danny his Guide.

Sobs once more wracked his body and he cried until he blacked out.


	6. Chapter 6

Two days.

Two days and Steve hadn't slept in that time. He'd passed out over his desk for half an hour, but a beeping coming from a database search had awakened him in an instant.

They'd not had a lot of luck. Delano had Sentinel abilities so he wasn't stupid enough to leave trace evidence behind and what Steve had found, had been generic and difficult to pinpoint.

Delano hadn't been at the house, he knew that. The man wouldn't be so stupid. Whoever he'd hired didn't seem familiar to Steve. Footprints had turned up nothing, the only aroma he could detect was of shrimp and there was no way to narrow that down. There was an air of Grace's vanilla body spray in the house, but Steve knew Danny had been with her the day he disappeared.

Chin was doing his best. He'd thrown himself back into the case, determined to catch Delano for murdering his wife. He'd spent 6 hours pouring over mugshots, trying to find anyone he recognized from when he'd freed Delano.

There was one possibility, but when they looked into him, he was still locked up in Halawa. Steve and Kono had paid the felon a visit, but he'd been thoroughly unhelpful, even under Steve's interrogation. The only thing they got from him was that Delano liked to go places where the smell was strong and the noise was loud. His enhanced senses were sight and touch, so strong smells didn't affect him but he was wise enough to know it could affect other Sentinels like Steve, and he liked smelly districts to hide in to mask himself and whatever he was doing. Add in background sounds that could act like white noise and you had a clever criminal.

The problem was, it really didn't narrow their search down. And though Steve contemplated starting a grid search of the entirety of Oahu and relying on his senses to pick up on Danny, he knew he couldn't give into panic like that.

Steve had practically abandoned his mother during all of this. She had been having meetings with the CIA and wit sec and he'd left her to it. Catherine was helping him out by dealing with anything Doris needed, while Steve devoted all of his attention to finding Danny. Cath only ever used temporary Guides, but she understood how important Danny was to Steve. She'd told him before how jealous she was of him for finding his true Guide. Her advice when Steve had met Danny was to go for it, to embrace a bond, to convince Danny that he wanted what was best for both of them. He'd been contemplating backing off a little, to give Danny space, but somehow he'd pushed through Danny's walls and from then on it had seemed second nature to poke his nose into everything in Danny's life. And Danny had let him. He'd grumbled, but he'd let him in. Eventually, the grumbling had just been for show, and had become Danny's own way of showing affection.

Two days of useless leads, of looking up everyone that knew Delano and trying to find him.

His major worry was that Delano had managed to get away, was no longer on Oahu, was no longer on any of the islands.

"We locked down the airports, the docks, we've got HPD covering any possible way to get off the Island. He's still here, Boss. We'll find him," Kono had assured him, but he could only give her a small smile as he continued to worry.

The worst part of it all had been going to Rachel's once he knew Grace had finished school for the day. He'd put it off, hoping they'd find Danny so fast that no one would need to do this but eventually, he had to.

Two days Danny had been gone, and now he had to tell Grace that Danno had been taken by bad men, but her Uncle Steve was going to do everything he could to bring him back.

She'd cried and hugged him tight while Rachel looked on, holding back tears of her own. Something happening to Danny had always been one of her worst nightmares, it had in part led to their divorce, but she still loved him, and she couldn't switch off that worry of being a cop's wife, even if she wasn't one anymore.

"You'll find him, Uncle Steve. I know you will."

"I'm not going to give up," he told her, confident and truthfully.

"Danno always complains about your grenades and stuff, but Uncle Steve, I don't mind if you use them to get him back. Just this once."

He'd managed a smile for her. "I don't want to do anything that might get Danno hurt, but I'll keep it in mind, Gracie. You know I'll use everything I've got to get him."

She nodded, wiping her eyes and hugging him again. Steve eventually had to leave and watched Rachel hold Grace close, fresh tears in the little girls' eyes. She was worrying about Steve now too, he knew that. At the same time, she had such confidence in him that he could only hope he could live up to her expectations.

* * *

Danny had been forced through another wash with the hoses. This time, more than any other, he'd felt a wave of humiliation, after he'd been told to pee in the corner and then submit to them.

He couldn't stand through it, his knees protesting. He hadn't eaten since he'd been brought here, he'd only been given water. So he had no energy to keep himself up, or to fight back against it.

He wasn't giving in to it, he just couldn't do anything to stop them. That feeling of being powerless, that was what affected him. He was practically a limp weight when the big guy lugged him around.

In his head, he'd begun to call the guy Tugboat, since all he seemed to do was tug Danny into various positions and hold him steady. Weirdly, he seemed like an alright guy. He was quiet, and relatively gentle with moving Danny around the place, unlike the torture twins. He was pretty sure he'd heard one of them call the other Grant, which meant in his head the other guy was Phil; a reference he still retained from his marriage to a British woman who liked soap operas.

He'd been taken back to his room and put on the mattress they'd dragged him from earlier. Looking at it now that they'd left the light on in the room, he could see how bloodstained it had become and he knew those stains were not there before he'd arrived.

For the first time since he'd been there, when Tug came back into the room, he brought a small blanket with him, and some bread with the plastic cup of water. Left alone with his 'meal' Danny didn't know what to do, but decided that although a few slices of bread wouldn't give him a great deal of energy to escape, it was better than nothing and he needed it. Delano had said he wasn't going to kill him, so starving him any longer wouldn't be a good idea. He might even force him to eat if he didn't do so willingly.

He ate.

It wasn't giving in to do so, just like finally using the mattress hadn't been. Giving in would be giving Delano exactly what he wanted: giving up Steve and letting go of the mental bond, as well as the physical one that had already been stripped from him.

Delano didn't want to kill him, he didn't want to use Grace against him. But Grace was his life, Grace and Steve both, and whether he meant it or not, Delano _**was**_ bringing Grace into this, because he was depriving Danny of seeing his daughter, making her worry about where he was. If Steve had been the one to tell her that Danny was missing… these thoughts came together in his head to make him hate Delano more. It seemed useless to him than Frank could ever attempt to turn him against Steve with torture. He was holding onto that throughout it all, no matter how much pain had been inflicted, no matter how much Delano accompanied that pain with all the negative things he could say about Steve. Oh yes, Danny knew what game Delano was playing. But he wouldn't give in to the associations.

Every time Delano left, Danny thought only about the good things in his life, about Grace, about Steve, about the team, hell he'd even given some thought to surfing because this was his life now, Hawaii was his home, and Frank Delano would not take that away from him.

* * *

Delano strode back into the room with an easy air about him, like he hadn't spent days torturing Danny. Days? It had to be by now, but how many, Danny had no clue. Danny sat up against the corner of the wall, holding the small, rough blanket over himself in a modicum of protection.

"As much fun as it is breaking you down the old fashioned way, we really don't have time for this. I need you on board so we can get off this island."

"We're still on Oahu?" Danny asked, hoping Delano had just slipped enough to give him that little bit of hope.

"We're on _**an**_ island, Hawaii has many of them, and there are others in the world too," he backtracked coolly. "Anyway, time to put things back in my favor. I like that you're strong willed, I'd expect it from a cop, but it's getting in my way now so alternate means…"

Delano turned and took the syringe from Phil's hands. He played with it like Doctors do on TV, pushing the air up and letting the top of the liquid spit out. If he was trying to intimidate Danny, it wasn't working. He already knew he couldn't fight this, he just hoped it wasn't something serious.

"What is that?" Danny asked.

"You didn't spend a whole lot of time with the Guide Center did you? What with them misdiagnosing you and never training you properly, you really missed out on a lot of learning, including the small samples of this they make you take in a controlled environment so you can be wary of the bad Sentinels in the world," he ended with a dangerous smile and a flourish.

"What is it?" Danny asked again, hoping Delano would get to the point.

"This is a serum that was developed to aid the bonding process. It lets the Guide relax, makes them more receptive, at least, in small doses. It was banned quite some time ago for public sale as it was being used to force bonds on unwilling Guides, but you know how these things are, there's always a reserve of them and they're easily stolen from pharmacies."

"I'm already bonded to Steve, please don't do this," Danny asked with a gulp, realizing this was why he'd been fed.

"That bond is severely weakened. It would snap really easily if you let go of the mental component. This will help."

"Just because you break it, doesn't mean I'll bond with you."

"You did hear the part about this drug being used to help force bonds? Think of it as the Guide version of a roofie." He gestured for Phil and Grant to take hold of Danny. He fought reflexively, but Grant took hold of his wrists. The burns that hadn't been treated and had begun to pucker and blister, were painfully rubbed by his calloused hands and it distracted Danny long enough for Frank to get close.

They held him down on his stomach, leaving his backside on full view. Delano knelt over the back of his thighs, pushing the abused flesh down. Danny's sore knees were at a really bad angle off the mattress that made him yelp as unexpected pain flashed down his right leg. In that moment, Delano plunged the needle into the flesh of his ass and emptied it into him.

They let him go and he struggled to right himself, ever careful of his knees and abused body. He pushed himself back into the corner as his vision began to swim, his head feeling light and woozy and like he just couldn't hold a thought for very long.

He tugged on the blanket, and held his other hand out to steady himself against the wall, even though he was sitting. He felt better knowing there were two walls there, bracketing him.

Frank knelt on one knee and watched him. He was blurry. Danny couldn't see his eyes properly and his voice seemed distant yet really close at the same time.

"Daniel, who are you bonded to?"

"What?" he asked, he'd told him before, he already knew.

"Who are you bonded to?"

"Steve. Steve McGarrett, I'm bonded to Steve McGarrett."

"He's a Sentinel. You're a Guide," Frank's actually quite soothing voice said.

"He's my Sentinel. I'm his Guide," Danny nodded. He could see other figures in the room, holding back, one leaning against a wall, arms crossed. The other, he couldn't tell what he was doing.

"He's not a good Sentinel. He left you. He went away and left you alone."

"We. He. He had to go alone. He said. Uhm…" Danny struggled, He knew Steve and he had argued about this, he knew Steve had reasons, he knew he'd understood them despite arguing, and he hated having to justify it to someone outside of their relationship.

"He didn't have to, Daniel. He left you behind because you'd get in the way."

"No, no…" He thought, frustrated at how slowly his mind was working. It finally came to him. "Grace."

"No, Daniel, think about it. If Steve had asked you to go with him, you would have. You'd have been brave for Grace. Done the right thing to show your daughter what a good man you are."

"How'd you…?" Danny asked. How did Frank know Steve had left without telling Danny? How did he know that Danny would always go after Steve so that he'd be there as his back up? Grace knew that, Grace liked knowing her Uncle Steve and her Danno protected each other.

"Never mind that," Frank said, reaching out a hand and resting it lightly on Danny's neck. He closed his eyes at the soft touch. It was unexpected from this man: a man who had a Sentinel's touch, could read so much of Danny from it. "Just know that I'm on your side here, Daniel. Steve treated you badly and I'll pick up the pieces. You just need to let go of the bond. Let it go and come to me, you can bond with me"

"Bond… bonded to Steve."

"Yes, you are. But you don't have to be, you can let it go. He left you, he doesn't care for you, not like you want him to, not like you cared for him. Let it go and you can come with me instead."

Frank brought his other hand up and cupped Danny's face. His eyes were softer than he'd ever seen before, they were almost welcoming. It was unexpected. Somewhere inside he had a thought that said this was unexpected, it was… it was unexpected. It was wrong?

"Bonded to Steve," he repeated. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he felt it was important to hold onto that fact. "Bonded to Steve," he said again. As he said it he almost felt better.

"Daniel, let the bond go."

"Bonded to Steve," he mumbled, closing his eyes, jerking his head away from the hold on him. He looked at the wall, noted the cracks, dragged a finger down one of them. "Bonded to Steve."

Frank leaned back on his haunches and sighed. "We gave him a bit too much, he's gone into his own head, stuck on a single thought. We'll give it some time, and try again."

They left him in the room, the light turned off and he was in darkness but somehow he didn't mind because nothing around him could swim if it was dark.

"Bonded to Steve," he murmured, repeating it a few times to make sure everyone that could hear him, knew it.

* * *

Chin had forced Steve out of the office to go into the sun and get some food. For the past three days since he'd been home from Japan he'd only been out for the case. He'd been to the house long enough to process it again as a Sentinel, he'd been up to Halawa twice and he'd run down a druggie who's information was bogus. He'd slept on the couch in his office, if he'd even slept at all, and he'd only called his mother or Catherine for quick check ups before going back to scouring satellite footage, checking almost every report coming from HPD or immigration and customs.

He'd only left on the proviso that someone stayed in the office, he would only be gone for half an hour, and if anything happened he was to be told immediately.

"Boss, I think we might have something," Kono announced from where she was haunched over the table computer when they returned.

Despite his tiredness, he perked up immediately, yet always aware of false hope. But to him, any hope right now was a step in the right direction.

Kono slid her hand over the table top computer and produced a few HPD reports. "Last night there was a break in at a drug manufacturer on King Street."

Steve scrubbed a hand over his face, "Yeah, I remember seeing something about it but there was anti-animal testing graffiti left on the walls."

"I'm pretty sure that was a red herring. The company isn't affiliated with any animal-testing labs."

"I didn't see a connection to Delano in it."

"The reports from the officers on scene were fully submitted about an hour ago. It included a list of the items missing." Kono leaned over the table, skimmed her hand on the surface and produced more information on one of the bigger screens.

Steve moved closer to read what it said. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't pronounce any of those."

"That one second from the bottom?" Kono motioned to it. "The street name for it is Shackle."

Steve turned quickly back to her, he eyed Chin carefully, to see if they were all thinking the same thing. "Shackle?" he asked. "That was banned. It was being used on Guides, lowers their inhibitions, makes them…" He gestured a loopy signal by his head.

"If Delano is behind the break in," Chin came forward, voice steady, "then he must be wanting it for Danny. Which means Danny is still alive."

"I never doubted that he was," Steve growled, sick of being reminded by people that after 24 hours he had to consider a worst case scenario, let alone the 72 they were passing now. He'd not abandon Danny, never Danny. "But why break in last night? He's already had Danny for three days and was probably planning everything long before any of this shit happened."

"He wanted Danny for a reason," Kono answered. "If Danny's not been playing ball, then he must have decided this was the only way to get it."

"What did the crime techs get from the scene? Any prints?" Steve asked Kono and she nodded.

She typed on the table and once more brought the information up for all of them to see on the monitor. Staring back at them were two haoles, both with dark complexions, hair cropped so close to their heads they may as well have shaved. "Meet Grant Burgess and his brother, Peter. British citizens. Started life in East London gangs, got involved with drug trade and are now wanted for the suspicious deaths of three college kids. Looked like drug overdoses, but the Police don't think so."

"What are they doing in Hawaii?" Steve asked.

"No one knows. They fell off the grid three years ago. Police in London figured they'd fled the country, likely to somewhere without extradition."

"That doesn't explain why they're here."

"Maybe they needed the money," Chin put in. "Maybe Delano had ties to them through whatever drug trade he was getting involved in himself."

Steve shook himself, he'd stared at their faces and memorized what they looked like because he had a feeling he'd be meeting them in person. "I don't care. If they have Danny, then I'm taking them out."

"What about Delano, boss?" Kono asked carefully. "You can't go on a rampage. We should be taking these guys alive if possible."

"If possible," Steve reiterated, though he knew both he and Chin were barely holding it together and would kill these guys without a second thought. "Shackle is used for bonding. I don't know what else it could do and I doubt Delano does either," Steve looked down at the table, seeing the faces of the two Brits staring back at him. "If he thinks he's going to get away with trying to initiate a bond with _**my**_ Guide, he's dead wrong."

"But Danny's already bonded to you, how does that even work?" Chin asked, confusion on his face.

"It can be done. I've seen case studies of Sentinels and Guides who released their bonds. It's not pretty." He refrained from describing it in more detail to them, not just to spare them from imagining it, but to stop himself from going there.

Releasing a bond could easily be consensual, but even then there would be a deep feeling of loss attached to it. He had seen the videos during schooling at the Institute that they showed as a warning to make sure young Sentinels realized that bonding wasn't something you did on a whim, but that had serious side effects. It encouraged them to know that finding their Guide may be instinctual, but they needed to know finding a true Guide was rare, and finding a Guide that was compatible would still be fairly easy. If they decided to bond with someone like that and down the road decided they wanted the equivalent of a 'divorce'? They needed to be prepared for it.

If Delano was able to get Danny to break his bond to Steve, then they'd both be saddled with the loss. It was considered to be like going through mourning. Being a true Sentinel and Guide pairing it would hit them incredibly hard. And it would feel like deep loss - as if the other was dying in front of them, over and over. It would be a constant sucker punch to the gut, a feeling of disbelief and empty space in their hearts and head, a flood of negative emotions and energy, their will to do anything would be completely sapped and there was likely to be an element of physical pain in their heads from it too, if separation was bad for a Guide, release of a bond was bad for a Sentinel. Just like the longer a Sentinel went without bonding, there would be a physical pain, if they lost a bond, that pain would come rushing back.

Steve hadn't expected this to happen to him and Danny, he knew instinctively that being a true pairing that they wouldn't separate willingly. He'd never even considered the idea of someone else forcing it on them. Now that he was facing the possibility, he knew they had even less time to play with. They had to find Danny, and find him now.

Whatever Delano was doing, whatever he'd done to Danny so far, his Guide had held on. Steve knew their bond was still in place. Danny was strong. Physically and mentally. He had the strength to lay a beat down on men bigger than himself, he had the strength to face down odds that weren't in his favor, the strength to take on a Sentinel like Steve, the strength to put aside everything he knew for his daughter, to be her hero, and Steve's.

He could only hope Danny had the strength to hold on just that little bit longer.


	7. Chapter 7

Danny was moving, a hand running against the wall as he limped slowly around his prison. He'd had trouble getting his legs under him, but the movement was helping him get his brain back online.

His mind was beginning to clear, his memories of the last few hours, though hazy and strange, were beginning to come back to him in pieces. He knew he'd been in the corner, on the mattress and staring at the wall.

He knew he'd decided that he had to keep Steve's name in his mind for some serious reason, though that eluded him right now. He had visions of Delano's face swimming in front of him and it was surprisingly calming. He really hoped he hadn't developed a form of Stockholm Syndrome. Delano was too sleazy to become attached to unless he was really forced to do…

Oh.

Danny slid down the wall by the door. The floor was cold and hard beneath him. His legs, his right especially, which had been thankfully soothed by whatever they'd given him, had begun to throb again and he'd been hobbling in circles for the last five or so minutes. He brought his left knee up to lean an elbow on, wincing as he did so, and allowed his right leg to stay stretched out in front.

Delano was trying to force him. He'd used a drug on him to make him more amenable.

As it became clearer, it frightened Danny to realize that although he'd clung to Steve in his head, he had been weakened to Delano through it. Frank's voice had seemed like something to hold onto while his world was confusing. His touch had been somewhat grounding and there was a voice in his head telling him that he should listen. Was that the drug?

There was something about being pliant. He remembered Delano's smile, the man had thought it would be easier to get what he wanted with this drug and if he wanted Danny, then maybe it could happen. The thought scared Danny. In his coherent state, Delano could keep torturing him with all these physical pains but he wouldn't give up Steve because it just wasn't in him to do so. He didn't want to, simply put, and he refused to be dictated to.

When he'd paid a visit to the Guide Center after Steve identified him as his true Guide, they'd skipped over everything to do with bonding. He had a recollection of being told after testing, that with them being a true matched up pair, it was unnecessary. After all, he'd visited them after his bonding with Steve, so why teach him how to bond? Anything else and Steve knew the answers anyway, and the Center was much more worried about making sure he was prepared to guide Steve, learning about how Sentinel senses worked, how to bring them back from zones, or to stop them from happening in the first place. In other words, the important things.

Bonding had never seemed important, because it was done. At least, that's what Danny thought, but clearly he was wrong. He'd learned so much more in the last, what, few weeks? Ever since Steve had left on that first trip to Japan he'd discovered so much more about bonding and how it affected their day to day lives. It seemed he'd been skating by in those first two years. The honeymoon period must be officially over.

He didn't know what would happen if he broke his bond with Steve. He didn't even think he knew how to do it in the first place. It was there. It existed. It just was. Sure, Delano had scrubbed him down; his skin still felt incredibly tender from it, like he'd been sunburned. Getting rid of physical evidence was one thing but how do you stop someone from feeling how they feel? How could this drug make him do it?

But then, hadn't he been tempted to give in and listen and do what Delano said? If he came back, if he gave him more, would he be likely to succumb? Would there be a side effect? How different would it feel to bond with Delano?

He didn't seem to want the physical relationship that Danny shared with Steve, this seemed to be a very platonic bond Frank was after, which would mean a different way of achieving the bond. Back in the beginning, Steve had directed Danny every step of the the way, but it had all come very naturally. No matter what Delano did to him, it wouldn't be natural. He couldn't help but think that forcing a bond still wouldn't make it very strong.

He just had to hold on for longer and wait for rescue. Every waking, coherent moment that Danny had was spent thinking about and waiting for his rescue to happen. He had no idea how long he'd been here, but he had a feeling, going by his facial hair growth, that he was into days now.

They'd got Steve back from North Korea quicker than this. They'd worked out his location in a hostile, foreign country and rescued him from the clutches of a madman quicker than it was taking Five-0 to come for him now and he must surely still be in Hawaii. It was frustrating to not know what was going on, what was taking so long, if Delano had been telling the truth about what he'd done to each of them.

What if they couldn't come for him? Was Delano too good at hiding away? What if they were dead? Surely Delano would have gloated about that by now.

He banged his head back against the wall. He had too many questions and not enough answers. God, he just needed to see Steve kicking his way through the door and right now would be a great time.

He turned his head, facing the door that lay closed beside him and he sighed heavily. It turned into a groan part way through as he shifted, aggravating his injuries, his hands gingerly touching his own chest and legs where scabs had slowly been forming over the injuries there. He touched one of his abused nipples, where the scourer used to scrub him had sliced into it so hard it looked like it had almost come off. The pain every single time water came in contact with it was terrible. Strange, how out of all the areas on his body they'd made him bleed, those felt the worst. Even the rub of the sensitive skin under his arms wasn't as bad, and the blisters on his arms from the burns were red raw and oozing where they were broken but that pain, on the surface of his skin, didn't feel as bad as the electricity that went through his chest when he accidentally rubbed against his nipples. Above all of that, his right knee had a constant throb that pulled his attention when he felt aware enough of his surroundings. His left, not quite as bad as the right, was bruised and achey, but didn't seem swollen, unlike the right. He really hoped it wouldn't need surgery. He also shouldn't be putting weight on it, but it seemed highly unlikely that Frank was going to give him a cane to use.

He sighed again, his head hitting the wall with a thump as he considered his situation for the five hundredth time.

He narrowed his eyes in curiosity as he heard voices talking outside the room. They were muffled but he could make out the odd words. It sounded like the British guys, or at least one of them, and Frank.

"I don't want to have to carry him onto the boat."

"He'll be fine."

"You battered his legs, mate, he's going to be hobbling at best. We need him to do it himself. Quietly."

"He will, I just need a little more time to hit the right button."

"Yeah? Well if we're not on that boat on Friday night, we don't have another window for four months. Our best bet is getting off now. You can regroup or whatever once we're away."

"He's got no idea, we'll be fine. Quit your worrying, you'll get the rest of your pay once we're safely away."

The voice that sounded like Frank came closer and the door creaked open in a now all too familiar way. He peered around the corner, looking slightly confused until his gaze fell on where Danny was against the wall.

"Daniel? Are you okay?"

"Please let me go," his voice was so low it was almost a whisper, and he was not above begging at this stage. "I need to be here for my daughter. Please."

"You been listening in on my conversations?" Frank asked as he came to sit in front of Danny. He pushed Danny's left leg flat to the ground, watched as Danny grimaced, and then crouched down and straddled him. "You're looking very alert. Must be time for another dose."

"No, please," Danny whimpered futilely. He wouldn't give in, not so long as he could help it, but he didn't want to go through that again. He'd had no idea how time had passed, he had no idea what had been said or done, everything was hazy and he'd rather be alert and in pain right now. He might need to pay attention for a rescue signal or something.

"I think the food they gave you must have helped compensate. You're coming out of it sooner than I expected," Frank gave him a once over. Danny had no recollection of being fed, or having anything to drink. He was definitely hungry and thirsty, so whatever they gave him can't have been much. But he'd been continually needing food and water since they'd brought him here, and when he wasn't shivering from the cold water they sluiced him with, he was sweaty from the stifling heat in the cement room he was in. Everything was uncomfortable. What he'd give for his old pull out bed right now.

Frank called to the guys outside to bring him another vial of the drug and Danny had no option but to sit and watch as he filled up a new syringe. Frank gave him a look, wondering if he was going to fight this like he had before, but he wasn't. He didn't want it, but he knew that fighting against it would mean aggravating his injuries, and it would do him little good. He'd rather not make them worse, which would make escape more difficult. But then, he didn't want to just roll over and give in, he wasn't letting Frank win by any stretch of the imagination, he was just picking his battles.

He could reason it all away. He was bone weary, in pain, weak, exhausted and biding his time, but he still felt shamed as Frank came to him again, leaned down, took Danny's arm without any protest, just a jerk as he hit sensitive skin, and slowly inserted the needle.

"That's it," Frank soothed as he pulled the needle back out. "You know what's best for you."

Danny blinked, trying to keep his brain online, but it was a pointless gesture. He slumped back against the wall again as the drug began to take effect.

"Do you remember what we've been talking about, Daniel?"

"You want me as your Guide."

"Right," Frank nodded, bringing a hand to cup Danny's face, bringing his wandering attention to Frank, grounding him. "You need to break your bond to McGarrett, then we can bond and you can be my Guide, you want that, don't you?"

Danny frowned. Did he want that? Frank's hand on his cheek was warm and somehow reassuring. He moved his head into the touch, the comfort, and heard himself whine for more contact. His fuzzy mind brought forth images as he closed his eyes, seeing someone in front of him, someone warm, with eyes that bore into him, that gave away his feelings, a smile that lit up the room when he was there with him, hands that seemed to touch him all the time. It was gorgeous, it was right, he remembered it.

"I want…" he began, and opened his eyes to face Frank.

"You want to be my Guide," Frank said, confidently, smoothly.

But something wasn't right. There were similarities… dark features, but the eyes weren't right. He knew the eyes he remembered, he knew them well. "I want… Steve," he was able to croak out. He tried to push away from Frank, but the other man was stronger and clutched Danny to him. His cheek pressed onto Frank's shoulder, and he hissed as Frank's hands skirted over sensitive areas of skin.

"Remember what we talked about, Daniel, about Steve."

"Urgh," Danny began, trying to remember. It seemed important, he needed to remember.

"Why are you here, Daniel?"

"Because… 'cause I was…"

"You were on your own, a Guide should never be on his own."

That's right, Frank had said it before. "Steve left."

"How did that make you feel, Daniel?" Frank's hand carded in Danny's hair. It made him shudder. He couldn't tell if he liked it or not.

He thought back. There was a long time that Steve was away and it hurt, he remembered hurting. "Angry, I was angry. Sad… it hurt, it hurt so much but I had to keep going. My head, it had hurt so bad."

"He stayed away. He didn't call, he didn't get in touch. He could have been dead and you'd never have known."

"Yes," Danny whimpered, not bothering to try and push away from Frank, instead, turning his face into his neck where he could get more comfortable. "I didn't know. He left me behind."

"He didn't trust you, did he?" Frank began, his tone calm, but with a hint of low menace behind it. "He left you alone because he doesn't care, he doesn't trust you. After everything you've done for him, this is how he repaid you." Frank pulled on Danny's head, bringing him up so he could see his eyes. "Look at yourself now, Daniel. He's left you here, he's not come for you and he's not going to come for you. He's probably not even worried."

"No," Danny began, but dry swallowed, unable to think of anything else.

"You're in pain, but it can stop. I won't hurt you anymore. The pain is because of Steve, let go of him and it all stops."

No more pain, God, to feel no more pain. Ever since Steve had gone away he'd felt like he'd been in pain. That never-ending headache - that was Steve's fault. It was Steve's fault. He remembered shouting at him at the hospital, and after, he remembered telling Steve he was to blame for it. Him leaving had made Danny sick. When he came back, there'd been shouting. There had been an argument, he'd promised not to do it again but… he wasn't here.

Danny was alone here. He'd been taken, tied up, hurt in so many ways, starved and kept in a dirty cell, a prisoner. Steve had allowed this to happen, that's what Frank meant. Steve had promised not to go without Danny again but he had. Danny had no idea where Steve was. He'd said it would be quick, he'd be back soon. Soon must have passed by now and yet he hadn't come to get Danny so he wasn't coming? Frank said…

He didn't care? He wasn't coming to get Danny. Danny was alone, Steve had left him.

"He left me," Danny's voice broke over the words, just like his world did. "Steve left me."

Frank just looked at him steadily and then let him go, hands falling to his side. Danny was able to scramble away, the pain in his legs dulled just like his brain. He made his way over to the mattress and crawled onto it, grabbing at the dirty blanket and holding it close. He looked around himself, unseeing. "Steve left me, no… he couldn't. Why would… Steve left. He left and he left again and I don't know where he is. I don't know if he's alive. Is he dead?"

"He's not dead," Frank's voice came from beside and above him and he looked up to see Frank's face looking down on him.

"He's not dead," Danny nodded, he knew that, he did. "But he's… not coming."

It made sense. All Frank had done was point out the logic of the situation. Time had passed, no rescue, therefore… they weren't coming. Steve wasn't coming for him.

"He's not coming. Bonded to Steve but… he left me." He nodded his head again, the repetitive movement was easy to get stuck in, it made his vision swim but keeping his head still did that too, so he kept it moving around. His hands clutched into the blanket as he sat, worrying it between his two fists.

* * *

Steve had been to the drug company. He'd gone to try and discover more than the crime lab could, or at least, faster than them. He'd lent his Sentinel abilities to the task and though it was a sore point for the techs, in this case, they were willing to stand aside and let Steve do anything he needed to.

He also needed to be there because he HAD to be involved, in every step of this case. This was Danny. He couldn't sit back and then worry that something had been missed.

He'd discovered dirt on the floor. He knew it was from the boots of the men who'd broken in because it matched up to the footage he'd already seen on the security cameras. The dirt wasn't fresh soil from the mountains, it had a more industrial feel to it, there were flakes of cement. The sand in it felt more like worn down brick than the soft grains from a beach and there was something metallic that he could taste, like a rust.

It played in to what they knew of Delano so far. He liked noise and smell to mask himself and he wouldn't get that unless he was still in the city. Steve was convinced they hadn't left Honolulu, but this was a big city and it would take forever to comb every possible site.

His best idea was something around a construction site, or abandoned buildings, at least going by what residue was left and Frank Delano's preferences. He wouldn't want to be seen by anyone, he'd be in hiding. But he needed somewhere populated to cover himself up.

He already had Kono making a list of all the construction currently going on, as well as anything that had been demolished lately and was due for more work. On top of that she was looking into the docks, the harbor, the warehouse district looking for what was currently there that could produce enough smell or noise pollution, and was hopefully going to cross reference everything to come up with plausible locations. After that was narrowed down they'd send extra cruisers to patrol the areas.

Chin had been looking at the security feeds again, and also the traffic cams for the area, as well as any private surveillance they could ask for, or ATM feeds. He was looking to see where the burglars had come from, if they had driven or walked, and was backstopping them.

By the time Steve made it back to the office, he was ready with more information.

"I've got a license plate," he began with no preamble as Steve strode through the doors. "The van was listed as stolen five days ago from a drainage company in Waikiki. I've got a BOLO out. I also found this guy," Chin pushed another new mugshot up onto the main monitor.

"Who is it?" Steve asked, crossing his arms.

"Meet Jay Kamaka, part time bouncer, part time thug for hire."

"He's huge."

Chin tilted his head. "He was the driver." Another picture was pulled up alongside the mugshot. It was grainy, from a traffic cam, but the likeness was unmistakeable.

Steve shook his head. "There's got to be more to him. Delano wouldn't hire a guy who looks like that just to drive a car."

"If he's as strong as he looks and Danny came up against this guy?" Chin left the question hanging. Steve didn't need to know what he was going to suggest. Because he knew Danny would be looking for his chance to escape, but going up against a guy like this would make it incredibly difficult, not to mention he was likely drugged going by what they'd found so far. That was all on top of whatever else they'd done to Danny over the last three days.

"What do we know about him? Can he lead us to Delano?"

"Some of the guys at HPD have arrested him a few times, they've got their eyes out for him but he's dropped off the radar. Word on the street is he was heading for a big pay day and he was planning on leaving the Island."

"That's not going to happen. I want him found."

* * *

Danny lay curled on the mattress, he'd begun to worry at the edge of the blanket with his teeth, fists still clenched around it. He stared at the wall.

His thoughts were a jumbled mess. Every so often, Frank would show up in his line of sight and ask him again to let go of Steve. He told Danny that Steve was bad for him, that leaving him had been wrong, that he should be off doing SEAL things and Danny didn't fit into that world. He'd talked about how he would be better than Steve, that together they could make a lot of money, retire early, enjoy life, he'd be able to devote all his time to Grace. He'd mentioned things from old reports of Danny's from when Five-0 had been set up and about how he'd creatively disguised Steve's methods and that he shouldn't have to put up with that shit. He'd said Danny could have anything he wanted. He said Steve only cared about his father's death.

Danny wasn't fooled, he wouldn't let Frank's suggestive and alluring voice persuade him, despite its appeal. He hung onto Grace and Steve. He tried to ignore Frank's voice and concentrated on Grace's birth, on her smiling through the years of growing up, still thinking of her Danno as the man who could do anything. He thought of Steve, and the look in his eyes and the connection that was made when they met.

He did not think about how strained that connection was, how weak it felt, like it could snap like a twig. That he felt anger, frustration, that he wanted to punch Steve's stupid face. He didn't hate him, no he didn't no matter what Frank said. He missed him. He felt the beginnings of loss, like he knew he might not see Steve again.

He wasn't in his right mind, he had to remember that. It wasn't a good time to be making decisions.

But he had to make one. Frank kept demanding it of him.

Let go of Steve, take on him instead. Maybe it wasn't a decision to be made in so much as it was an inevitability.

The pain would stop. He'd been promised.

He'd get to see Grace. He'd been promised.

All he had to do was break that fragile bond.

* * *

Steve had been to the last known address for Kamaka. He'd pounded and then just gone ahead and broken in the door with Chin unable to fulfill Danny's role and tell Steve not to do so. They'd looked around and found nothing.

A neighbor, woken by the night time banging, had called HPD thinking there was a burglary happening. When a squad car arrived, Chin had to smooth everything over and Steve had spoken to the neighbor - a thin man who looked terrified to be dealing with Steve and kept glancing over his shoulder to make sure other people were around.

He provided no new information. Kamaka hadn't been around in days and had said he might not be back. The landlord and the super for the building knew nothing either.

The flashing blue lights from the cruiser and the front of the Camaro gave an eery light in the early morning darkness as Steve leaned back and closed his eyes. He heard the HPD officers talking quietly in murmurs to themselves, trying to not be heard by Steve but it was pointless since he was a Sentinel. He tried to ignore them, he knew they were talking about him and he didn't want their pity or sympathy or unhelpful gossip. Chin's phone beeping shocked him in its loudness. He hadn't realized he'd stretched his hearing so far and he reined himself in before anything bad enough happened to put him in a zone.

He had been feeling closer to zoning in the last few hours. He'd been holding back on using his senses unless absolutely necessary because it didn't feel safe and he'd had no idea where that feeling was coming from.

He had a headache and was incredibly tired but that was not surprising considering he hadn't slept properly since the weekend and now it was just turning into Thursday. He'd eaten only when reminded to by those around him. He'd been on ops before where he was either sleep deprived or running on very little food, he could deal with that, but the emotional impact of this case was hitting harder than he could have prepared himself for.

But with how he felt now, and how scared he was for Danny and himself, he knew something was wrong, something more than Danny being kidnapped.

"We got a hit. Steve?" Chin asked, coming close.

"Something's wrong, Chin," Steve said, opening his eyes cautiously and keeping his voice low. "It's Danny, I know it is."

"What is it, your bond?"

"I don't know, but I feel like I'm missing something. In my head. It's like… like I was before.," Steve ran a hand over his tired face. "He's slipping, Chin, I can feel it. We need to get to him."

Chin nodded. "The van that was stolen. Kono's lists paid off, it's been spotted. I've got a couple of unmarkeds watching it now."

"Let's go," Steve began, opening the door, pointing for Chin to get in and drive.

"Wait, Steve. They'll let us know if there's movement. We'll go to headquarters, get our gear and put together a unit, okay? We should be ready for a raid that's by the book, not just you storming every building in a half a mile radius of where they parked the thing."

"Fine," Steve agreed. "Let's get a move on, but be quick about it."


	8. Chapter 8

Steve had attached everything he could think of to himself. He had his vest loaded, he had double thigh holsters and enough ammo to take on the entire North Korean army, according to Chin. But both he and Kono were as equally strapped as Steve was.

Catherine had been waiting for them when they got back to headquarters. She'd come to see if everything was alright, to check in, but since she was here, she was going to help out. Right now, Steve was grateful for the extra body for the raid, he didn't care what the Navy might have to say about it. As a Sentinel as well, Cath was sought after, it was highly possible they'd let it slide, or never even know about what she was up to while off-duty.

They'd had word from HPD that the van was on the move, they'd been ordered to follow, while leaving someone watching the area, and then if possible, to apprehend. They'd done so, and now Jay Kamaka was down in interrogation. The look on his face as Steve had gone in, almost completely strapped and ready for war, had been almost pleasant to see. If the situation wasn't as serious as it was, he may have even indulged in the fear the big guy emanated.

You just had to look at Steve, see into his eyes, to know he was hanging by a thread. It hadn't taken long for Kamaka to start singing. The threat of Steve, barely held in check by Catherine, was enough to have him talking.

They knew Delano was holed up about half a block from where the van had been hidden. The building had been condemned and was due for demolition, and the one next door had already been torn down, with work ongoing to remove debris. All in all, the area was loud, smokey, and not too far from the docks.

He'd also assured them that Danny was alive. Injured and heavily drugged, but alive.

Their issue now was getting there before Delano worked out that Jay wasn't coming back, spooked, and moved his operation.

Steve was quick, it came from his training, and he was impatient for everyone around him to hurry up.

Catherine took him aside while the others finished up, "Steve, hold up a sec, are you okay?"

"I will be once we get Danny back."

"That's not what I asked. We can't have you going in there if you're going to be a liability to the op. I know you're focussed on Danny, but you have to do this right."

"Cath-"

"Hey, you forget I can do some of the things you can too. And right now, I'm picking up that you haven't showered in days, you've been wearing the same clothes for at least 48 hours, and your heart rate is all over the place. I know for a fact you haven't really slept or eaten. I need to know if you're up to this. Your team is counting on you, not just Danny."

"I've done harder with less."

"But it's never been personal. Not like this." She reached out and touched his cheek, her affection for Steve clear in her eyes, as was her concern. "I get it, I do. This is Danny. I know what he means to you, but he will kill me if I let you go all animalistic here. Have you done any exercises recently?"

"I don't feel comfortable doing them without him," Steve responded.

"You've got ten minutes while we load the van, do some now. AH-" Her hand shot up before Steve could argue back. "I say again, Danny will kill me if I don't try and make sure you're okay for this. Do them. Now."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

"You're so close, Daniel. You just need to take that final step."

Frank was holding Danny's hands in his as he knelt over him, trying to look Danny in the eye as he slumped against the wall. Danny was making small noises as he breathed. He was stressing more about this, despite the drug making him more relaxed and like he was riding a peaceful wave. He wanted to let Frank make the decisions but he was still hard-headed enough to find it too difficult to relinquish control of himself.

He looked past Frank. He didn't know how long he stared, not listening, or at least, not paying attention. His fox was there with him. It looked sad, tired, its empathy for Danny was high and its eyes looked like it was just done with the whole thing. It lay there, keening. Raising its head to look back at Danny any time he felt Danny was paying it enough attention.

Having it there did seem to help. It pulled him away from the drug's influence and from Frank.

"Daniel, I know what your relationship with McGarrett was," Frank took a moment, worried his lips with his teeth then seemed to come to a decision. "If that's what you need I can give it to you. We can start that way too, if you need it."

"Wha…?" Danny asked, confused, coming back to himself, back to Frank.

Frank reached down. His hand trailed over Danny's chest. Danny sucked his breath in automatically, prepared for him to touch where it would hurt, but he skimmed around the undamaged areas of skin on Danny's torso and down. He stopped, just before he reached Danny's groin.

"If you need the sexual component…"

There was a growling sound. His fox wasn't happy and it pulled his attention. He wasn't entirely sure why, but it wasn't happy and it didn't want Frank touching him. He pushed Frank's hand away, hoping the action and his face would show Frank that he did not want that and not just because he was sensitive to a lot of touch right now.

"Okay, it's okay, Daniel, but you need to be smart about this, I'm running out of patience, and we have a boat to catch. I can't have you quite so drugged up for the trip."

"Will it hurt?" he asked, weary from the pain he'd already been in for so long.

"Yes, it probably will, but it'll pass, bonding with me will help."

There was a knock at the door, and it opened with its familiar metallic ring. "Frank," Grant began, "we've got a problem."

Frank gave Danny one last look then stood and went over to him. Voices low, they were unconcerned about having an audience. "What's wrong?"

"Jay's not back yet."

"How long overdue is he?"

"About an hour now."

"Great," Frank turned back and looked at Danny, a hand wearily scrubbing over his own face. "We might have to move out early and get to somewhere safe before leaving tomorrow. Start getting the things together."

* * *

SWAT were awaiting his orders, but were to hang back and let Five-0 infiltrate. The key here was to make sure they didn't get away, but he wanted to go in clinically. Danny's safety was priority, and he didn't want Delano to see them coming.

Steve was quiet as they went to their cars. He was methodical, he was prepared, he had his game face on. Jaw set, eyes dark and hooded, he caught a look at himself in the rear view mirror and for the first time, saw something frightening looking back at him. He saw a man on the edge, he saw someone willing to do anything it took.

The exercises had helped, they'd focussed him, they'd given him ten minutes of rest, but without Danny there to guide him through everything, it felt disjointed, it felt like it did once before when he'd got used to doing them alone, or with other Sentinels like Catherine.

Having been with Danny for the past two years, everything had become clearer, easier, it all made more sense and he was very much aware that he was more in control of his head and his body. The SEALs had taught him a lot, they'd been a huge benefit to him. It was because of his SEAL training that he'd gone so long not using any Guides, not even temps. But now that he knew Danny, he knew he couldn't go back to the way things were. Danny was everything to him. He kept him grounded, balanced, controlled. And he'd be without those things until Danny was back beside him.

He was glad for Cath right now. She understood him in a way that Chin and Kono couldn't. She could see in him that his control had slipped more than the others could realize. She could see that Steve would easily sacrifice himself for this mission, in a way that he'd never thought to before. This wasn't about country or pride, this was personal.

Just before climbing into the van, she spoken quietly in his ear, "Be a hero for him. Not a martyr."

* * *

Danny's brain processed what he could. It wasn't working as fast as Frank's, but he got there in the end. At this point, he could only assume 'Jay' was the name of one of the guys that wasn't Grant and he hadn't come back… so he'd been caught… so the police were onto everything. Frank expected the guy to talk, which was why he'd ordered Grant to get everything together so they could move out.

Which meant he hadn't been given up on. Whether it was Steve and Five-0 or just HPD, he didn't know, but someone hadn't given up on him. He could only think it would be Steve because it felt right in his head despite being told by Frank that Steve wasn't coming.

Frank had come back in and given Danny his shirt, trousers and shoes. They were dry but hadn't been washed since they'd been stripped from him on that first day. A thought did strike him that they probably still smelled like him and he tried to waft them around a little to air them. He took his time, partly to slow Frank down, partly because he couldn't go any faster for fear of aggravating his injuries and still being woozy from the drugs. Frank eventually gave up on waiting and came over to help him put the shirt on his arms, but left it flapping open, buttons undone.

He grabbed Danny's arm, uncaring about the blisters there, "Come on, Daniel, we're heading out earlier than I planned."

He dragged Danny up the stairs, pushed him ahead of him when Danny's knees protested. After days he was seeing more than the two rooms he'd been in and now he found out he'd been in a basement area, which explained the lack of windows. He hadn't seen proper light for days and he screwed up his eyes, unaccustomed to much more than a few shades above darkness.

Danny leaned heavily on a table. In front of him were dark bags, filled and looking heavy but he didn't know what they contained. The two British guys were there too, which meant Jay was Tugboat, and he was the one that hadn't come back from his errand.

"Is everything ready?" Frank asked.

"Yeah, got in touch with our contact, said we'd be there a day early. He's fine with it so long as we're well hidden. We'll need to stay in one of the cargo pods while final inspection takes place in the morning." Grant looked over at Danny. "Would be easier if we didn't have the wildcard."

Frank pulled out a gun and immediately shot Grant, without so much as a hesitation. It had been a blur in front of Danny, and he hadn't heard the gunshot he'd expected, until he realized Frank had a silencer on. He then turned and shot the other one, before he could draw his weapon.

"It's going to be easier with just the two of us, rather than four."

Frank raked through a few of the bags, then selected one to grab. He knelt down over one of the brothers and took his weapon as well, before reaching out for Danny to follow him.

"Come on, Daniel. Time to leave. Just the two of us now, told you we'd make a great team."

"No, wait. I won't leave… I mean… Grace!"

Frank stopped and whirled on Danny, bringing up his loaded gun and shoving it into Danny's cheek. "I didn't think I'd need to explain, but you're resisting the effects of the drugs too well, so here goes. Final option, Daniel. If we stay here, I shoot the first person who comes barreling through that door and I'd bet all the money I have that it's going to be McGarrett so here's your choice. You stay here and watch your partner die, or you come with me."

Danny made a strangled noise at the back of his throat, then relented as Frank moved them forward again and out of a side door. He couldn't help but think Frank would do exactly what he'd said, and he couldn't work out in his head if there was another way. Something told him there would be but his mind couldn't put the pieces together. Normally he'd come up with arguments, he knew that. Normally, he'd be able to think of so many ways this could go down that didn't involved anyone getting shot, least of all himself, Steve or the team, but today, he couldn't do it.

Frank said he'd shoot Steve if Danny didn't do as he was told. So he believed him.


	9. Chapter 9

They parked that same half block distance away and approached with stealth towards the building they suspected Delano was in.

Kono had the tablet computer with her that had thermal imaging software on it showing her the feed from the satellite. "I've got two figures on the first floor. Neither are moving."

"That doesn't make sense, there should be four. Delano, Danny and the two others."

"There's nothing else there, boss."

"Maybe Delano already left," Catherine suggested. "If he knew you caught Kamaka, he'd assume he was compromised."

Steve growled angrily. "We've had eyes on the place. They should have seen something."

Steve didn't dispute what Kono saw on the monitor. She'd even shown it to him and it was plain to see there were only two people in there, both lying down by the looks.

He broke cover, uncaring, because he knew what was going on. He shrugged off Cath's hand and lifted his gun as he approached the front entrance. He yanked the door open, and stormed inside, knowing Catherine was right behind him, covering him, gun raised. He saw the two bodies, looked around the place, realized Frank Delano was gone and then stormed back out, ignoring Chin and Kono's concerned looks as they came in behind.

He ran to the unmarked car and hauled one of the men out, the one in the passenger seat.

"WHERE'D THEY GO, HUH? CAN YOU TELL ME THAT?" He screamed in the guy's face. The other one had come out of the driver's side and was coming around but his eyes showed his fear at what Steve was doing. "YOUR JOB WAS TO WATCH THE PLACE, YOU IMBECILES. THEY GOT AWAY AND THIS ONE IS ON YOU."

Steve's shoulders were yanked back and he stumbled as Chin moved in between him and the two plain clothes officers. He crouched low, poised ready to strike, trying to gauge what Chin was doing and whether he was going against Steve or not.

"It's a big building, there's only two of us and one car," the driver said.

"Detective Williams wasn't inside, there's no sign of Delano and two bodies on the floor. Gunshot wounds," Chin said. He didn't shout it but Steve could hear the level tone in his voice barely conceal his anger. He wouldn't show it like Steve did, but it was definitely there.

"Oh god, we're sorry. They must have slipped out another way, used a silencer or something." the first said.

Then the other pitched in. "They must be on foot, there's no way they took a car, the only road is out front and we've not seen anything here, I swear, we were doing our job."

Chin moved in closer to one of them, "Don't get too comfortable with those badges, you might not have them for much longer."

As Chin spoke, Steve was already sprinting back into the building. When he got there, Kono was hunched over one of the bodies, her hands cradling his face. She leaned back, "Goddamnit, I can't understand him."

"He's alive?" Steve listened in, but heard no heart beats except the team. "Not anymore, did he say something? Tell me he gave us something."

Catherine looked over at him. "I heard it. Kono told him we'd get Delano for this, persuaded him to give up his boss. It was breathy but sounded like Mary Rose."

"Mary Rose? Another contact or… the name of a ship?" He perked up, that had to be it. They were close to the docks, on foot he'd be able to get Danny there and then that was his way off the Island. Jay had mentioned the plan was to leave and soon. "Kono, look it up, find out where it is and when it departs."

Steve stopped, took a breath, and then turned and headed to a set of stairs that went down to a basement level.

"Steve?" he heard Catherine calling his name, but there was something that grabbed his attention, pulling him down here.

He could sense her following him down but staying out of his way as he pushed open a door and looked into a dank room with a stained mattress. The smell, it hit him quickly. There was a chemical smell. Something manufactured and strong, like deodorant, a spray, maybe something like a shampoo. There were a few different, conflicting smells. They masked another smell that he could just pick up as one he recognized.

Danny.

He looked over to the mattress, the blood as well. It was dried, old, but it too held something of Danny to it that he knew and recognized.

"Danny was in here," Catherine stated, but Steve didn't know if she was picking up his scent too, or if she could read Steve.

He nodded. "Yeah. He was kept here."

"They've been masking him."

"It's clever, but not good enough. Either that or Danny found a way to make sure I'd work it out."

"Can you follow it?"

"I think so. We better go fast before it dissipates."

She nodded, prepared to keep following him and helping him find Danny, which he loved about her. He always wondered if they'd have been compatible if not for the fact they were both Sentinels.

At the top of the stairs he followed the faint trace of Danny to a side exit, hidden behind an old metal shelving unit.

"Boss, a freighter called the Mary Rose is registered with the docks. I'll send its location to your phone as soon as I get it through."

He barely acknowledged Kono's voice. She wasn't even in the same room as him, she'd spoken normally and he'd picked it up, as had Catherine. Saying anything back was pointless, so he just made his way back outside.

Both he and Cath took that moment to work out the direction Danny and Delano had headed in, not waiting for the information Kono would have for them. Besides, Delano and Danny may not be at the docks yet and Steve could follow their route and try to catch up

"That way," Catherine pointed, "I think I've locked onto Delano, there's something headed around the construction. It'll be difficult to follow once it goes into that area."

Steve didn't wait, and again, didn't respond. Instead he took off at a run, skirting around the site, always trying to be aware of the scent he'd locked onto. Cath's senses wouldn't be as keen as his. Hhe'd never taken anything but a temporary Guide after all. She wasn't up to full strength and she wasn't a five-senser. On top of that, Steve took after his bloodhound spirit animal and knew once he was on someone's trail, he'd find them. It worked with Anton Hesse once upon a time, it would work with Danny here and now.

* * *

Danny was slowing Frank down. Also, the drug may be beginning to wear off a little, or perhaps the fresh air was doing him some good because he did feel a little clearer. He had an idea in his head that Steve was coming for him, so now he was doing what he could to let him catch up.

He had no real clue if it was going to work, and part of him wasn't sure if he'd dreamt it or not since everything refused to coalesce properly in his brain, but he figured it wouldn't hurt.

He slowed every so often, it worked well because his reasons were genuine. He could have pushed through it more, but he took the opportunity to complain about his knees, or the fact that he had no energy. Both of which were true, his knees felt like they could fall apart on him any minute. He was wobbly on his feet from hunger, thirst and pain.

But the adrenaline coursing through him from Frank's threats, to being suddenly moved around after so many days, and the possibility of rescue, all made him able to keep going despite it all.

It was still slow going, as they rounded by the back of the buildings, dodging around garbage, fences, puddles and always keeping an eye out for anyone looking for them. Frank always had an iron grip on him, either by his upper arm or behind his neck.

Unfortunately, Delano's sight was probably his greatest sense, so he'd already spotted potential threats and steered them around another way. It meant it would take a little longer to get to the ship, but it would keep them out of police custody.

* * *

"Do you still have him?" Catherine asked as they slowed again, she'd lost Delano's trace in the melee from the construction, just like she'd expected, but Steve was holding onto Danny's scent like a lifeline. It had been slower around the work site, but now they were in a more open area, he'd locked on stronger again and was following as fast as he could.

"They've been ducking in and out of these side alleys. Delano knows we're looking for him, he's trying to dodge around surveillance."

"If Danny's injured, they can't be getting anywhere fast. We must be catching up to them."

"We are. They're definitely headed for the docks."

At that, Steve's phone pinged. He fished it out of his pocket and handed it straight to Catherine, not wanting to pull his attention away from his goal.

"It's the information from Kono."

"Hopefully, I won't need it. I'm not letting Delano make it that far." At that, he took off at a run again.

* * *

The road was slightly downhill, Danny's knees throbbed more with the impact and then suddenly he was on the ground. He rolled onto his back and sobbed with the pain that lanced down his right leg.

Frank pulled on him, "Get up, Daniel."

"I can't!"

* * *

Steve could hear them now. He'd been straining for Danny's voice and he'd heard something not too far ahead. After 5 days, he was hearing Danny again and that was music to his ears, but only for a millisecond, before the sounds became clearer and he heard the pain in Danny's voice.

Delano had done something.

He growled, picked up the pace, ignored Cath's yell to be careful, and took off at a sprint.

* * *

Hands had grabbed at him under his arms, and the sensitive skin there made him hiss in pain again. Then he was dropped back onto the ground and he rolled onto his side, bringing his knee up and clutching at it.

He looked up to see Frank framed by a bright sun but he had his weapon out and was looking into the distance. Danny tried to look over too, but his eyesight was poorer than normal, let alone inferior to that of a Sentinel's and he couldn't see what Frank had.

Carefully, and without raising his voice Frank spoke and Danny saw the barrel of a gun come into his view. "I'll shoot him."

Danny was confused. "I'll do what you want, don't shoot him." He tried to get back to his feet but collapsed back to sit on the concrete when Steve came skidding into view, hands up, guns still in their holsters.

"It's over, Delano, don't make things worse for yourself." Catherine said as she appeared behind Steve, stopped a few feet to the side, and took in the scene before her. Danny realized that Frank hadn't been threatening Steve again, trying to get Danny to move, but had been speaking, knowing Steve would hear, and was now threatening Danny.

Steve hadn't spoken yet. Even from here, Danny could tell that Steve probably wouldn't either. Something in him had gone dark, he held himself differently, it was wilder, more dangerous. He'd never seen Steve like this before.

Steve moved a step closer and Frank crouched, threw an arm around Danny's neck and held the gun to his head. Catherine had raised her weapon while Delano moved, covering him. Steve had lowered himself, to be on Danny's level.

He was assessing the situation, playing it clinically, tactically, waiting for an opportunity, waiting for Frank to show a weakness.

"Consider what I've done so far, McGarrett. You know I'll do it. I'm not going back inside."

"Steve, be careful," Danny said, before the arm around his neck tightened, cutting him off. Steve's reaction was to tense up as the threat to Danny heightened.

A shot rang out from behind Danny and he felt the change in Delano's grip. Then, in a blur of movement, Steve charged, landing on Frank before he could recover enough to get control of the gun again. It skittered over to Danny who picked it up with shaky hands as he watched Steve pound into Delano, landing punch after punch and only stopping when Chin appeared, and alongside Catherine, pulled Steve away despite his yelling, a sound like a war cry coming from him as he punished Frank for what he'd done.

Frank's head was turned to face Danny, his eyes were glassed over. No doubt, Chin's shot had been the cause of death. There was blood spatter. A now broken nose and jaw from Steve's beating and Danny held the gun pointed at Frank while Steve still struggled against their friends, trying to get over to do the man more damage. The noises echoed in Danny's head as his fingers tightened and the trigger pulled.

A shot, ripped through Frank's skull. And then everything quietened down. "Told you at the beginning, it was a stupid thing to do," he said to Frank's very dead body.

"Danny?" Steve practically whispered. "Danny."

Steve was in front of Danny then, pulling the gun from his hand and throwing it aside, before tugging him into an embrace, plastering himself around the smaller man, like a gorilla.

"Careful," Danny pleaded as his body rubbed up against Steve's, he pushed ineffectually against him, slapping at hands that came too close to painful areas. Though his abdomen was on display, his pants hid the worst of the wounds lower down and the sleeves of his shirt had fallen, covering the burns there.

Steve did his best to settle in around Danny, ignoring his Guide's attempts for some space, pulling him to lean back and then began a tentative examination, pulling the shirt from his arms, Steve nuzzled against Danny's neck and hair and groaned 'no' over and over at the sight of his abused body.

Danny squinted up to see Chin looking down at both of them, worry evident on his face. "Chin? Where'd you come from?"

"I'd like to know that, too," Catherine smiled. "Great timing, by the way." She patted his arm, coming to stand by him.

"I drove to the docks and there wasn't anything going on. Kono pinged Steve's cell so I back tracked from there hoping to box them in."

"Nice job," Catherine congratulated him as they all looked over at Delano with varying degrees of disgust on their face.

"Okay. Keep an eye on the Neanderthal for me. I think I''m gonna pass out now," Danny said. He turned to get a look at Steve, reached a hand to cup his neck and then it fell down again as he blacked out.


	10. Chapter 10

Waking to the sensation of pain had become common place during the last few days and this was no exception, but there was light in the room that was natural, and he was lying somewhere comfortable.

That didn't explain why Danny somehow felt bad in a way he hadn't before, like this pain was fresh and damn was it hot in here.

He blinked open his eyes, noting that he was in a hospital room, a familiar layout instantly told him which hospital. He couldn't see Steve and he worried that he'd been hurt too, or worse.

Agitated beeping beside him brought someone into the room, someone he faintly recognized.

"Detective, please don't struggle, you're in the hospital."

Danny shivered, an all too familiar bodily reaction he'd suffered through lately, but this wasn't because he was cold or hot, it was something else. It was ripping through him regardless. "Steve?" he asked.

The Doctor kept both her hands over him and simply nodded to the other side of the room. "He's in the next bed, he's sleeping, he's okay. Everything's going to be fine, just take some slow, deep breaths for me."

She demonstrated and he did his best to fall in line with her and calm down. Sweat began to bead on his brow and he lifted his hands to wipe at it. He glanced down at his body which was mostly covered by hospital scrubs and a sheet. he didn't feel woozy, not like he had before, the drugs Delano gave him must be wearing off.

He remembered now. Delano was dead. Chin had shot him, Steve had jumped him and Danny had put a bullet in him for the sake of it, to stop the madness around him at the time. He was beginning to feel like he could think clearly, but his memories were hazy and filled more with emotional triggers than logic.

The shaking in his body didn't let up and the pains throughout were nagging at him. He was in the hospital. Shouldn't he be getting better? It had been days since they'd physically tortured him, it must be by now, he should be healing.

"What's wrong with me?" He asked in juddering breaths.

"You're in withdrawal from the Shackle you were dosed with, and they must have given you a hell of a lot. I'm sorry, we can't give you any painkillers until we know it's fully out of your system."

Danny nodded, but he wasn't sure if it could be seen since his body was moving by itself anyway. "What's wrong with Steve?" he managed to ask.

"He uh," she began, trying to hide the rueful smile, "the paramedics couldn't get to you safely, so they called us and we had to sedate him. He's sleeping it off. This affected both of you quite badly, to have your bond forcibly broken down…"

Danny came up from the bed, a pain in his stomach, a feeling of it knotting inside him making him cringe and screw his face up. He curled in on himself. "I need him, I need Steve."

"I'm sorry, Daniel, he'll be awake again soon," Doctor James said.

"Don't call me that."

"What, Daniel?"

"He called me that, all the time. Don't call me that."

"Who called you that?" Her look was one of concern.

"Frank, I mean, Delano."

"Okay, what do you want me to call you?" She kept her face neutral at Danny's words.

"Everyone calls me Danny, there's no need to be formal, you've seen me naked, I'm guessing." She smiled at him and he tried to smile back.

"Okay, Danny it is. How are feeling, apart from the withdrawal, I mean?"

"I don't know… everything kind of hurts."

"Okay, well, we've treated what we could. The cuts, bruises and whatnot have been tended to, we've put braces on both of your knees for the moment, and your arms have been cleaned up but we won't be putting bandages on them right now, it's better for burns to be aired. But you need to be careful of them, try not to let them rub."

"Are you kidding me?" He forced out. "While I'm like this?"

"I mean it," she scolded. "I know it's difficult, but you'll get through this stage, trust me."

There was a groan from the other bed as Steve started to come around. The blonde Doctor got a worried look on her face as she released her hold on Danny, who hadn't realized just how steadying it had been. "Oh no, he's not supposed to be coming round quite so soon."

"What?" Danny asked, looking around him, trying to sit up straighter and see past the equipment around him to see Steve.

"Might need a little help in here!" She called out as she moved around to see Steve. Two nurses came into the room, one male and one female, as Doctor James ordered them around the place. He couldn't see what was happening as they stood around Steve's bed.

Danny turned onto his side, curled up, clutched his arms to his chest and pulled his knees up trying to ride out the tremors.

There was a low murmur of the doctor's voice, quiet words from the nurses and the sound of something rattling, like trying to pull something free that wouldn't budge.

"What's going on? Danny?!" Steve's voice rose above the others.

"Steve," he said in response. "I'm over here."

"Danny," Steve repeated, sounding agitated.

"Please calm down, Commander McGarrett, you're in the hospital, you and Danny are both safe."

"I can't see him, why can't I see him?" Steve asked, voice still raised, worried.

"He's behind me, he's just a few feet away. I need you to calm down, okay? He's injured but he'll be fine. I need you to be careful."

"I need… Danny?" Steve asked again.

"Right here," Danny stuttered out, not worried that his voice was quiet and rough, he knew Steve would hear him crystal clear.

Doctor James spoke quietly to the female nurse, who ran out of the room, then she returned her attention to Steve "McGarret? Sentinel McGarrett, I need you to calm down before I can let you go."

Let him go? Danny listened in again and realized the rustling clanging was the sound of Steve trying to get free from restraints. They must have tied him down for some reason. Danny remembered the look in Steve's eyes when he'd come for him, remembered thinking he'd never seen it before. Now that he'd seen Steve on the edge, he could understand why they might think to take drastic measures.

Catherine appeared at the door, followed by the female nurse who, it seemed, had been sent to get her. She looked over at Danny and shared a relieved but sad look with him. He couldn't quite interpret it, but it was perhaps her worry for Steve in this state, and maybe for seeing Danny the worse for wear.

"Cath, tell them I'm fine."

"You're not fine, Steve, but you will be." she encouraged. "Danny's right here, he needs you, just as much as you need him but he's hurt and you can't go to him like you did by the docks, okay? That scared the shit out of all of us, that's why they had to shoot you with a tranquilizer."

"You tranq'd him? Like an animal?" Danny asked, pushing up with his arms on the soft bed.

"We had no choice, Danny," Catherine reasoned. "You were unconscious and he wouldn't let the EMTs or any of us go near you. He kept growling like he was going to attack us if we tried, and they were worried because he was armed."

"I'm fine now," Steve interrupted.

"Your heart rate is crazy," she responded.

"It's crazy because I just woke up restrained in a hospital bed. But I'm fine now, please, just let me up."

Catherine took a moment or two and regarded Steve carefully. She looked briefly up at Danny then back to him. Using her own heightened senses she was trying to get a read on Steve's state, but also gave it a good time to just look in his eyes. She seemed to decide it was okay, and nodded to them to release Steve. She stayed, obviously wary in case she'd made the wrong decision.

Once the straps were released, Steve took his time getting up. So much so that Danny was the one getting impatient. "Steve," he said again, his voice still weak, and it got Steve moving.

Legs swung over the bed, he pushed himself up and came around the equipment to see Danny properly. They looked at each other for a moment and then Steve's eyes softened so quickly. He pushed forward, careful of Danny's injuries, grabbed one of his hands, and placed his forehead against Danny's.

"Danno, I'm so sorry," he said, his other hand coming to cup Danny's face. "I'm so sorry."

"Not your fault," Danny placated, wondering how he'd become saddled with this overgrown, damaged puppy with conflicting issues. One minute a control freak who had to know everything and be in charge, robotic, non-human. The next he crawled into his own shell, taking on the woes of the world as his own, shouldering blame that wasn't his, getting overwhelmed by his own head.

He was such a goof, but he was Danny's goof.

"I'm never letting you out of my sight ever again."

"Come here, come here," Danny didn't even care about himself at this point, he just pulled Steve so that he came up onto the bed with him and he curled into Steve's side, just as much as Steve curled himself into Danny. Like a yin and yang, they offered and took the shared comfort.

"You're shaking," Steve stated the obvious as he pulled Danny closer.

"That's the withdrawal, it's just one aspect of it, I'm afraid. His injuries are healing fine, the majority of them hurt like hell when inflicted but now I think they look worse than they feel." Doctor James was the only other person in the room now, everyone else had given them privacy. "He's hooked up to IVs since he was so dehydrated, and we've got a cocktail of electrolytes, minerals and vitamins in there too for the malnutrition. Please be careful not to pull anything out."

"He's in pain," Steve said.

"We can't risk giving him anything in case it interferes with the drugs already in his system. He needs to ride this out for a bit longer."

"What's going to happen?" See, this is why he needed Steve beside him right now. Danny could just take a back seat and let Steve ask the questions he needed to know the answers to.

"It's hard to say. He was given a pretty high dose, likely constant for a few days. We're having him go cold turkey on it because it's the best way to deal with Shackle. He's already experiencing the sweats and tremors, probably some intestinal pain. He might still feel some dizziness and nausea. We just need to get him past the next 24 hours."

"24 hours?"

"Normally it might be more, but having you here will help, even if your bond is weak right now. He needs your support. Your careful support. And we'll be keeping him monitored closely for the next 48. From what I've heard of the conditions he was kept in, we have to be wary of infection."

He felt the kisses Steve laid on his hair and forehead, and then he gripped tighter into Steve's t-shirt when he felt another wave of pain in his stomach. He held his breath and clenched his muscles.

"Try to relax into it, Danny," Doctor James said, like it was so easy. "Steady breaths."

"Danno, come on," Steve lifted Danny's face so it was level with his own, and so close their noses were touching. "Breathe with me, match it to mine." He did the best he could. A hand on Steve's chest, feeling the rise and fall and as he concentrated on breathing with Steve, he neglected the pains and sure enough, it lessened. He felt more in control of it all.

"Okay," the doctor said as everything seemed to calm again. "You both should try and get some sleep. I know it's been a tough week."

"Gotta say, for a liaison, you really did get here quick. Again," Danny commented.

"Well, _**again**_ , I was already here." She put her hands in her lab coat. "I was at the airport, ready to wave goodbye to the sunshine when I was told you'd been kidnapped. The Center had me stay to take care of you. I guess I owe you one for the extended trip. Cascade isn't exactly the sunniest or warmest of places."

Danny huffed out a laugh. For someone from the Center, he actually quite liked Doctor James. She didn't talk down to him, and she did her best to keep things light, which he appreciated right now. He knew what he'd been through, he understood he needed to recover. He didn't need people walking on eggshells.

She looked sternly at Steve. "I know Guides, and how we operate. I'm no expert on feral Sentinels, Commander. A colleague from the Institute hopped a plane earlier. He'll be in later tomorrow to make sure you're okay too."

"I'm clearly lucid again. I've got Danny, I'm fine."

"Danny is the only Guide you've ever bonded with on any real level. The stress and anxiety you went through, the weakening of your bond, it all adds up to a whole bundle of Not Good. So you're talking to him. I'm not taking any 'Sentinel strong' barbarian bullshit on this one. You'll meet with him and you'll heed his advice on what to do next."

"Wow," Danny said, looking between them when Steve gawped at her like a goldfish. "You sounded just like me. I think you freaked him out. It's good. I knew I liked you."

Doctor James smiled down at Danny, conspiratorially. If they could have, he was sure they'd have done a high five or a fist bump or something, but he wasn't letting go of Steve any time soon.

"Rest," she reiterated. "I'm on call and just down the hall if I'm needed."

* * *

Danny wasn't getting any rest, so Steve wasn't either. He probably wouldn't have anyway. After 5 days of not knowing, of worrying, of avoiding the worst case scenario, he had Danny back with him and he wasn't going to take advantage of that ever again. He wouldn't take their bond for granted. He'd learned that it didn't matter about how strong they were together, and how they wouldn't choose to leave each other, because there may still be people out there who were against them, who would try and separate them. He needed to factor this in, he needed to work on contingency plans, on emergency kits, on code words and check-ins. Danny would probably hate it, but they needed to be more prepared.

He'd work on those things once Danny was recovered.

They'd shifted to spoon on the narrow bed. It was easier on Danny's injuries as the skin of his back wasn't damaged like his front, so if Steve rubbed against him it was fine. He was on hand to get Danny through any pains that cropped up and he held him when the sweat shakes ramped up.

It was dark outside now. Nurses had closed the blinds, they'd turned the lights down low, and had changed Danny's fluid bag.

"How long has it been?" Danny asked.

"About 5 hours or so."

Steve hadn't asked Danny about what he'd been through, but Danny had talked over his injuries. He'd detachedly told Steve how he'd been burned, beaten and cut up by a broken golf club and what they'd used to scrub him down, and where was the most badly damaged from the ministrations. He'd mentioned the cold hose washes, the small cell and how little they'd given him of anything he needed, like food and water.

He'd said it all, with very little waver in his voice, and a disjointed memory. Steve had taken it all in, determined to experience it in his mind's eye, and through it all he reined in his anger. Anger at Delano, at the criminals he'd hired, and himself for not being able to stop it sooner, to see it coming, for leaving.

He'd cried, though he tried to hide the tears from Danny.

He didn't want to, but Danny had insisted he tell him what had happened to everyone else. He asked if what he'd been told was true and Steve spoke of Chin's loss, of Kono's near-death experience, and he opened up about finding his mother, being confused, untrusting and thoroughly unimpressed with her lies and her attitude.

When Danny tightened up as another wave of pain came to his stomach, he started talking to distract himself, he'd done it all night so far, now Steve could tell a split second faster what was happening. "So, your mother is a Sentinel too?"

"Yeah. But I always knew that. I told you before."

"That's right, you did. She's got all five like you?"

"It's in my line, apparently."

"So there's you and your mother… and Catherine. I'm surrounded by Sentinels which is exactly what I didn't want growing up. How is this my life?"

"Just lucky I guess," they laughed as Danny's pains eased.

"That's one way of putting it," Danny stroked a hand over Steve's where it lay over his stomach. "I really hate drugs. Once this is over, can we just focus on putting some drug runners behind bars or something? I'll not even complain if you do something… you."

"We talking shark cage 'me' here?"

"Along those lines, yeah. I'm gonna give you a free pass because I tell you now, I will enjoy seeing you throw a couple of the bastards overboard."

"I'm sure that can be arranged."

* * *

By morning Danny was exhausted and yet, he couldn't close his eyes for very long before they just popped back open and something distracted him. Whether it be pain, or something moving, or making a noise, or, at one point, his bladder.

Steve had been right with him the entire time, even though he knew he must be tired too. But Steve was determined to copy Danny right now and there was no point in arguing.

Danny had curled a little more. His shoulder was still pressed to Steve's chest, but he'd turned more onto his back so he could free his arms up a bit. During the night he'd rubbed his arm right down his side where it was trapped and, despite the burns not feeling too bad, that had hurt. He'd had to apologize to Steve for hurting _himself_ , when he was told off for it. It was true though. Normally the burns didn't hurt they just felt… odd. Tight. They weren't numb but there wasn't as much feeling in the skin as there should be. When he was younger, he'd worked in a diner over a summer and it felt just like when he'd burned himself on the hot plate, only on a larger scale.

Steve was hovering over him, his eyes full of concern. Danny hated seeing Steve look at him like that and it was mainly because it meant something bad had happened. He was well aware that it had this time too, the eyes were a reminder he didn't need.

He lifted a hand and cupped Steve's face, a face that was slightly blurry in the morning light. "They don't allow dogs in here, babe."

Steve looked down at him, confused, and in response he just looked back. He turned his head to where he'd seen the dog and it wasn't there anymore. It must have gone. Considering he'd seen it before, he realized it was Steve's spirit animal, so of course, it didn't matter if it was there or not.

He cleared his throat and changed the subject. "You know, we've been here a while now, I'm surprised Malia didn't come to see us."

"Danny?" Steve propped himself up higher on his elbow and regarded him more carefully. "Hey, Danno, you know she's not here anymore. We talked about this last night."

Danny rubbed his forehead, screwed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. He struggled to sit up, but he needed to. He was sick of lying down. He was feeling exhausted, his body just one mass of jelly after having suffered the tremors through the night, but he needed to sit up.

"I thought he was lying about all that. I hoped… I mean, I had to think everything else was okay, you know?"

"I know," Steve got a knee under himself and an arm around Danny's shoulder, pulling him in for a hug and kissing into his hair. "I know. You remember we talked about this?"

"Yeah, yeah I remember." Danny nodded, reluctantly. He wasn't so confused by his thoughts anymore, he knew what had happened, it was just slow sometimes. "He got to all of us, in one way or another. How's Chin doing?"

"I'll be honest," Steve said, rocking back so he could see into Danny's eyes again. "I got wrapped up in you and me, I haven't been a very good friend to him these last few days."

"I'm pretty sure he understands, but we'll be there for him. Out of all of us, he's the one who took the brunt of it. He's the one that actually lost something," Danny looked at Steve. "Permanently."

Steve kissed Danny's forehead, then trailed his lips down to the tip of his nose, placed a light kiss there then tentatively touched his mouth to Danny's, giving the Guide a moment to breath and then he deepened the kiss, doing everything he could to pour his love and relief and promises into that touch.

Steve pressed his forehead to Danny's. "If I lost you-"

"I know," Danny cut Steve off before he could flounder for words. "Me too. Now can you do me a favor?"

"Sure," Steve sniffed as he pulled back fully.

"Get off my bed, I need to get up."

"You were in the bathroom no more than an hour ago," Steve moaned as he got up and off, reaching to help Danny.

"I know, I just need up. I can't lie in bed all the time. Don't want to get that leg thing they get on planes."

"Woah, wait, you're still not well, Danny. You need rest."

Danny landed his feet on the ground, Steve still supporting him despite his disapproval. "Sure I need rest, but I'm clearly not getting any. I'm stronger than I look, okay? Go fetch me a robe like a useful person."


	11. Chapter 11

Steve rubbed Danny's back as Doctor James checked him over, but it was difficult while sprawled in front of a toilet.

Danny heaved again, though there was nothing in his stomach to empty out and he could do very little more than spit.

Finally, he leaned back against Steve.

"It's all part of it, I'm afraid," she frowned.

"Can't you give him something? Anything? Anti-nausea stuff?"

"I already went over this with you, Commander. He needs to ride it out. Other drugs can be addictive, including pain medication. Although you have to rate on the empathic scale for Shackle to be of any use to you, people can use it as a recreational drug. I can't just swap one addictive drug for another."

"Heroin users get methadone," Steve pointed out, eyes narrowing.

"Yeah, and that always works out well for them, doesn't it."

"I'm fine," Danny said, leaning his head on the cool tile beside him. "Not much longer, then I'll be fighting fit again."

"You're not doing any fighting if I have anything to say about it."

"Sure thing, Ma," Danny patted Steve's shoulder, "whatever you say."

* * *

Danny had been going through this for a while. It was definitely wearing off, the pains weren't as bad as they had been but sometimes they took him by surprise and he was so exhausted from his ordeal and this aftermath that he was about ready to ask them to let him die.

He grabbed his stomach while the Doctor held his hand. "Just kill me. Please."

"Stop being such a baby, Danny. If you think this is a bad cramp, you should try being a woman for a month or two," she smiled at him, with a slightly evil, joyful glint. He had to hand it to her, if she wanted to distract him, it was going to work.

"Hey, I've got two sisters and I've been married. I watched my beautiful wife giving birth to my perfect daughter so trust me, I have a lot of respect for women. I am man enough to admit that I cannot take this kind of pain like they do." Danny slowly released her hand and smiled back at her. He really did like her, she'd already worked him out. He put it down to her empathic Guide nature. That and a natural bedside manner.

Steve was staring at him as he relaxed his muscles. "What are you thinking about?" Danny asked.

"I'm just imagining you going through labor-hey!" Steve ducked back, shielding his chest as Danny hit out at him. Danny then grabbed a pillow and flung it at Steve's head. He regretted it after, but only because it took far too much energy to do so, and he was sadly lacking in that department.

"How much longer, Doc?"

"We're running your latest samples, we should have them back in an hour. You seem to have ridden out the worst of it, it's calming down. But you need to know that along with any issues that arose from being kidnapped, there may still be side effects that will continue to be present for quite some time, even once you're back on your feet."

"What kind of effects?" Steve asked.

"Well, psychological ones for the most part. What you've been through will probably only be amplified by having been on the drugs. You may remember things that confused you while you were dosed, probably in nightmares but even when awake something might just come back at you and surprise you."

"Like PTSD?"

"Something like that, yes," she nodded.

There was a knock on the door and they all turned to see a man standing there, who was a stranger to Danny.

"Doctor Forrest," Steve greeted, sounding surprised to see the man. Danny's eyes darted between them. The new doctor greeted Doctor James and then turned to Steve.

"Commander McGarrett, it's good to see you again. Finally got yourself a Guide, I see." They shook hands.

"So you uh, clearly," Danny mock saluted, "know each other."

"We did a few missions together in what, 2005 or so? It's been a while, my friend."

"That it has," the new Doctor replied. "The Institute was briefed on what happened. Unfortunate business."

"Unfortunate?" Danny asked, eyes widening at the guy's word choice. "Unfortunate business, that's how you're going to describe it. That's good."

"Danny-" Steve warned, a hand shooting out to land on Danny's chest.

"What?"

"Be nice."

"I'm always nice."

Doctor Forrest smiled behind his hand as he watched them. "I'm sorry, Detective, I don't mean to sound dismissive, it's not my intent. It's just a difficult situation to encapsulate easily."

"How about clusterfuck. That's a pretty good one," Danny offered.

Steve rolled his eyes as Forrest continued to find light in his tone. "I agree. I just don't think I can use that in my reports."

"So you're the Sentinel Doc they sent to make sure my head was okay?" Steve asked, changing the subject.

"That's right. I heard you went feral for a bit there. I thought maybe we could go grab some food, maybe have a chat?"

"I can't. Danny's still not back to full speed and I need to stay with him."

"I'll be fine while you go eat. You need to eat. Unlike me, you can actually keep it down," Danny put in.

"No, I'm not leaving your side." Steve made his point crystal clear. He sounded very final.

Danny softened at the look in Steve's eyes. There was residual worry and tension. This was the reason the Doctor had been brought in in the first place. "Steve, I'm not going anywhere."

There was a silence in the room, slightly awkward. Forrest cleared his throat and spoke up to break it. "Okay, how about a compromise. We'll just go outside the door. That way Williams is still close to you. He just won't be in your direct line of sight. It won't be as private, but we can make do for now."

Danny gave a small nod, trying to indicate to Steve that it was a good deal. There was a battle waged in Steve's head until he relented and with a squeeze of Danny's hand, he made his way out the door with Forrest.

Doctor James took Steve's seat. With her hands still in the pockets of her white coat, she took a good look at Danny. "You know, while Steve's not here, this might be a good time for you and I to have more of a discussion."

"You a shrink as well now, Doc?"

"I specialize in Guide medicine. That's physical and mental. And the two aren't always mutually exclusive. The brain is very much where a Guide's power comes from. A Sentinel uses physical senses, a Guide is more about emotional sense, that's where your balance is. You have reason and logic, and you also have compassion in a more heightened aspect from normal people. It stands to reason that after going through this trauma, the empathy you have took just as much of a beating as your body. You should talk about it, let people support you."

"I get it Doc, I do. But I'm not going to do it now."

"I'm sorry, if it's too soon for you."

"No, it's not that." He reached a hand out to her but it pretty much flailed in thin air, as she was still sitting quite rigidly beside him. "Steve is out of my earshot. But I'm not out of his."

"You want to keep this from him?"

"No, I mean, kind of. It's just… He can still hear me if he wants to, I can't hear him. It's more that it's just not fair." He frowned, trying to say it right. "I'll talk to him about it, of course I will. I already have a little. But some things I need to work out on my own, knowing that I'm actually on my own, separate from him, before I can talk to him about it."

"I understand." She stood and patted his wrist. "I'm here for you. The Center wants me here to get you back to your old self again. I do too, but not just because you're a strong Guide bonded to a five-senser. I kinda like you, I don't want to see you bogged down by all of this."

Danny smiled. "I kinda like you too, Doc."

"Eh," She waved the compliment off. "Call me Maddy. I've seen you naked, remember?"

* * *

Steve sat, consciously keeping an ear on the room he'd just left. He knew his tension had increased with Danny out of his line of sight, but he was doing his best to compensate by using his other senses to know Danny was perfectly safe in the room. He just had to tell himself no one could go in without him knowing.

"So," Forrest began. "You want to tell me what happened?"

"There are reports, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you what you already know."

"I know the bare bones of it. I know that you were out of the country when Williams, Malia Kelly and Kono Kalakaua were taken. And I know that you searched for Williams for five days relentlessly. What I don't know is what triggered you, after those five days, to lose your control."

"It had been building." Steve rested his elbows forward on his knees and rubbed his hands together. "I felt like everything was slowly slipping away. I knew we were running out of time. I had to get to him."

"And you did, you got to him, you got your Guide back."

"No, not yet. I won't have Danny back until he's healed and we've reinstated the bond. Then I'll have him back."

"So, what was your trigger?" Forrest asked, mirroring Steve's hunched form, keeping their voices low so as not to draw attention.

"I don't know for sure, I don't remember everything."

"Walk me through it," Forrest started. "You were at the old building, you threatened two members of the HPD, then you took off after a scent."

"Yeah, I uh… I saw where they kept Danny, I found blood, I could tell he'd been there. I think he was trying to help me out." Steve leaned back again and rubbed a hand over his face. "Cath and I, we followed it. I wanted to get to Danny as soon as I could. I knew where they were heading but I didn't want them getting there. Delano could defend himself better if they made it to the ship."

"You caught up to them…" Forrest prompted.

"I heard him. I heard Danny. He was in pain, I heard it and just…" Steve mimed snapping something in half and shook his head. "I don't remember much after then. I just remember focussing on Danny. On the fact that someone had taken something that belonged to me and I wanted it back. I got locked into that base mindset."

"Your bond with Detective Williams. How does that feel right now?"

"Uhm," Steve began, frowning, trying to work it out for himself. "It's weakened. Danny already told me, Delano took the physical one away from him. That affects me more than him, but by the time they drugged him, I guess it meant something. Almost ceremonial. Plus, it caused him a lot of pain being scrubbed down like that." Steve clenched his fists, tight. Wishing those assholes were still alive so he could skin them for what they'd done.

"What about in your head?"

"It wasn't good. Like I said, Danny was slipping, I felt it."

"And now? How does everything feel now?"

"We're imprinting again, bit by bit. I can feel it improving as the drug frees Danny's mind. And we've been able to touch each other a little, I've done my best to regulate us but with him still in this state, I keep losing it."

"How do you feel about that? About having him back with you, but without the full bond you're used to?"

Steve was silent for a few moments. He didn't know what to say. He knew how he felt, he just didn't know how to express it. He was worried how it might sound. As much as he hated that the Institute had sent a Doctor to speak to him, he trusted Forrest. He had back in the 'Stan, so he felt like he could here too. "I hate it." He took a shuddered breath, turned to look at the door to the room as Doctor James opened it and walked out, sparing him a tight smile as she went by. "I hate what happened to him, I hate that there are threats out there I didn't calculate for. I hate that I worry, and I hate that he sees me worry. I hate everything about this situation."

"Has he told you much about how he feels?"

"No. No, he's been quiet. What he has said is all… even. You know?" He turned to Forrest with a questioning look and was met with the blank, nonjudgmental face he knew. "He just told me things, like he was writing a report in his head. He's not even mentioned the bond as it stands now."

Forrest nodded. "Steve, be honest with me, as your friend as well as your doctor. How deep does your original bond with Danny really go?"

"It's on file." Steve wiped at eyes that stung with unshed tears. "The Institute knows we're fully bonded with the sexual component."

"I know, but I want to hear it from you, and not in clinical terms just… how deep is it?"

"I love him. He loves me. We're like a perfect fit. Just like I was told it would be when… if… I found my true Guide."

Forrest gave him a measured look but didn't press for more. Steve didn't know what he wanted to hear from him. It was very difficult to describe how he felt for Danny in the first place. He just knew it was bone deep. It was everything. He didn't think anyone would understand unless they'd felt something similar themselves.

"Steve-" he heard the muted sound from the room. Danny had whispered his name. No, it was quieter than that, it was almost nonexistent but Steve had picked up on it.

He turned to Forrest. "I need to-" he gestured to the door. Without waiting on a response he stood and eased it open. He looked in, not wanting to rush in in case there was something wrong. "Danny?"

Danny was sitting on the side of his bed. He was hunched over, his hands braced on either side of him and his head down. The braces on his knees bent as far as they would go. His head raised slightly with the hint of a smile. "Thought I'd test you a little."

"You okay?" Steve asked, pushing the door further open and taking slow steps closer.

"Yeah, I think so. Just…"

"Just what?" Steve reached Danny and carefully took Danny's hands in his own, placed them on his own hips and moved in between Danny's legs to stand closer.

"Wasn't too keen on the empty room." Danny looked nervous, a little embarrassed to admit he didn't like to be on his own. It was understandable. He hadn't been left on his own since the rescue and he'd been kept in a dingy room for so long, he probably had craved the company of his family when he'd been there.

"I'm right here," Steve laid a kiss on Danny's forehead, ghosted his lips over Danny's nose and kissed his mouth lightly.

Danny pulled back enough to rest his head on Steve's shoulder and they held each other, Steve letting the moment wash over them, turning it into a quiet bond moment, letting them sync themselves to each other. He'd keep doing it when he could until it fully took again. He felt their heart rates measure up and their breathing. He was also aware that the moment wasn't as private as it could be. The door was still open and he knew Forrest was still standing in the entry.

Danny wiped his nose on the shoulder of Steve's t-shirt. Neither man seemed to care, and Danny pulled back, his eyes concentrating on the figure standing nearby. Steve still stood in Danny's space, and Danny kept his hands on Steve, but they included the other man into their bubble now.

"So Doc? You worked with Steve on some of his super secret missions?" Danny asked and Forrest nodded. "What did Smooth Dog here and the others call you, then?"

"Ha, well, my nickname, to this day, has always been Superman."

"Superman?" Danny looked between the two of them. "You have a habit of leaping tall buildings in a single bound?"

"His first name is Kent." Steve answered with a sheepish grin.

"You're," Danny began and choked off a laugh. "You're kidding me. His name is Kent so… wow. You guys really lacked in imagination, huh?"

"Smooth dog is imaginative," Forrest laughed.

"If by inventive you mean terrible, sure. For one, he is not smooth, no matter how much he thinks he is. The dog part is apt, I'll give you that, but it's also very obvious so no, there's no imagination in the SEALs." Danny smiled up at Steve. "At least not in your unit, babe."

"Smooth dog, Bullfrog, Superman, Hellhound, Donkey Kong, Gonzo…"

"Wait, you called one of the guys Gonzo? What, he had a big nose?"

Steve shrugged and Danny laughed again. Steve upped the act a bit, but only to keep that smile on Danny's face. Forrest played along, reminding them of a few more names and they had some laughs over how they'd all earned them. The entire time, Steve and Danny had been very much in each others' space and had barely moved.

As they settled again, one of Danny's hands found itself against Steve's chest, Danny yawned like he might actually be tired enough to get some sleep. His body had been through enough to exhaust him, finally.

"Steve, maybe you and I should go get some food now, leave Danny to get his rest."

"No," they both argued at once but Danny was the one to continue as he clutched the hand into Steve's shirt. "I'm fine. I'd rather hold out until later when it's dark. You know, keep to a regular sleep pattern."

"Hmmm," Forrest put in as he looked between them and that was when Steve knew that although they'd been enjoying conversation, Kent was still here to do a job and had been doing it the entire time.

Steve turned back to Danny. "I'll be right here if you want to try and get a little rest. We'll still get enough tonight too, you've got a lot of sleep to catch up on."

"Maybe," Danny hedged, looking happier knowing Steve wasn't going anywhere.

"Come on," Steve said and then began to move them around so he could get on the bed again too. "We'll get comfortable and if you fall asleep, great, if not, then we'll just enjoy each others' company for a while."

"I'll let you both rest then. I need to consult with Doctor James and makes some reports on your progress."

"The whole feral thing, it's fine," Steve told him. "It's not like it happens regularly. I'm not a danger. I'm sure you can finish up and go to the beach or something."

"Not quite yet," Forrest agreed. "Considering you had lost your Guide for five days, it's, frankly, understandable. But I've got other things the Institute wants me to follow up on."

"Such as?" Danny asked from where he was curled, Steve's grip on him tight.

"The Institute is worried that you aren't trained well enough to take care of a five sense Sentinel like Steve. They had doubts before and now after this, and the psychological impact of your bond suffering… they're worried about the implications. That you might be a danger to yourselves."

"A what?" Steve asked, incredulous.

"They wanted me to assess how intertwined you've become, how your bond would heal, in case they wanted to find another suitable pairing for the both of you. Or if they wanted the Center to take Danny away for a while for better training."

Steve sat up, suddenly angry at his old friend, but before he could say anything, Forrest held his hand up to stop him. "Steve, stop, look. I'm just here to do a job. I know it's difficult to hear this and you want to defend and protect this relationship. And you can do so. Tomorrow. For now, you both need rest. You're tired, you've been through a hell of an ordeal. I'll see you tomorrow."

Forrest closed the door behind him, washing the room in quiet breathing and bathed in sunlight from the window. Danny's voice quietly perked up. "Did that just happen?"

Steve waved his free hand in the air, unsure how to respond to it. "He's seen us together for no more than half an hour. He can't judge us in that time. We'll fix it later. If it needs fixed."

"But would they really do that? After everything I went through to hold onto our bond, everything you went through to find me? They're pretty much saying they support Delano's actions."

"No," Steve huffed. "No, it's just… the Institute are a pain in the ass, they truly can be. They want what's best for us and we'll just have to show them that WE are what's best for us."

Danny tugged Steve's arm tighter around himself as he considered what had happened. Steve, for his part, was unsure how convincing he'd sounded. He did understand the logic, though he refused to think it had any real merit in this situation. He and Danny would heal just fine.

He curled into Danny and held tight.


	12. Chapter 12

It had taken a few days but Danny was beginning to feel like his old self, at least inside. The outsides still ached. He'd spent much of those days drugged up - with pain killers this time - mainly for his knees. They'd made him drowsy, so in the end, he hadn't been very alert for these days and they hadn't had much of a chance to talk about things. His knees were still both in braces and he had been using crutches to walk around when allowed, knowing he would be back to using a cane once he was released. His left knee had been healing well, his right was taking longer.

His body was a mess of scabs and bruising, covered in gauze. His arms were now wrapped loosely so he didn't aggravate the burns, but the blisters there were doing well and the skin was beginning to heal.

It had been wonderful to see Grace the last few days. She always brought light into his life and her smile was infectious. Every visit Rachel allowed, and she had been kind and brought Grace at every available time, had been a Godsend to his wellbeing.

It was just his head that was having problems, the rest of the time.

He'd had a few nightmares, memories surfacing of Delano and his threats. The offer on the table coming back to him, making him contemplate it again. Only in his nightmares, Steve was already dead, or had moved on from Danny and chosen someone new at the Institute's behest, and Delano was trying to claim the now freed up Danny.

Every time he'd woken from them, Steve had been there to hold onto him and see him through, to remind him the ordeal was over, he was home, and things would be okay.

They'd met with Doctor Forrest a few times. In each instance they'd tried to act normal, despite knowing they had to work through issues. Danny was sure it was a result of the bond weakness, but he'd been made to think over their last two years together, and secretly had begun to question if there were things he could have done differently with proper training. He wasn't going to tell Forrest that, though. It was for him and Steve to deal with.

Steve was keen to get the re-bonding done. That was obvious, even without them speaking about it. Danny was too, but he still wasn't fully up to it and wouldn't be until he was discharged. He kept telling himself his reticence was because of his injuries. Steve's health had also deteriorated over the last week or so. He had lost weight, and there were bags under his eyes from his lack of sleep. Danny could only guess it was from watching over him until he was exhausted and conked out too.

He had noticed Steve's reluctance to leave his side. He'd noticed that Steve kept his eyes on anyone Danny came in contact with. It was with great effort that he'd persuaded Steve to let him go to the garden with Doctor James. Alone. She'd been trying to get him to open up still, and he'd maintained he wouldn't do so with Steve close by.

Finally they'd been able to get that chance. Danny had said he wanted to get some fresh air, natural light and a little exercise, and he wanted Steve to go eat while he was gone. They'd almost argued over Danny's decision to leave Steve behind. He'd had to convince Steve that he'd be fine, that he needed to be able to talk to the Doctor.

"I'm sorry about the Institute's investigation. The Center informed me of no such thing," she began as they sat.

"Well, the Institute likes to think of itself as above the Guide Center right? Historically speaking, of course," Danny shrugged it off. "In some ways I'm really not surprised. The Institute always seemed frosty, even when the Center crawled up my ass over its mistakes."

The Doctor nodded. "You're getting stronger by the day, it's good to see, but how about up there?" She motioned to his head with her eyes as they sat.

"It's a jumble." His hand hovered at his temple. "Even the timeline is all over the place, and my dreams have been… I dunno - a mix of memories, and emotions and fears. Sometimes, I'm not entirely sure what was real and what I just made up."

"How do you feel about Frank Delano?"

It took Danny time to decide, and that in itself worried him. He could make it look like he didn't know how to say things, but in truth, he didn't even know how he felt to begin with. Translating it into words was another issue entirely. "He's a criminal. He was a bad guy. It's simplistic but it's true. What he did to me, what he allowed to be done to me? I hate him for that, I do."

"But?" She prompted.

"His voice. It's still here. I still heard it when I was drugged and now, it's still there in my nightmares. It scares me because I could easily have given in."

"That was the drug, Danny."

"Logically, yes, of course I know that. I'm not stupid, I know I was drugged, I know it had an effect on me, I know he preyed on that, I know all of it. It's difficult to reconcile that knowledge with my feelings. The voice that I heard told me what to do. The drug made me want to do what I was told. Part of that is still all there."

"But despite how alluring he tried to be, you held off. That's not normal, Danny, you need to realize that. From what was in your system, I wonder if you should have just been a puddle on the floor for him to play with as he pleased."

Danny thought there might be a compliment in there somewhere, but he wasn't going to go looking for it. He let it hang and ignored it. Instead he brought a hand up to wipe a wet eye as he thought back over how he'd tried to hold on.

"I just…" he trailed off, hands wrapped around his crutches as they lay between his legs. "I put my faith in Steve."

"She reached a hand out to his shoulder. "And yet, that makes you upset."

"Because I came so close to failing him." His eyes filled again with water as he faced her. He still felt all that guilt. Guilt for almost giving in, for being so close to saying yes. Guilt for believing he was weak for giving in. He remembered, disjointedly, that he'd done things not out of weakness, but to try and conserve himself. Now, looking back, he couldn't help but wonder if he'd told himself lies to comfort himself as he gave in. "After a while I just, I let Frank drug me up and didn't even put up a fight. I stopped fighting them."

"No, you didn't. If you had, you'd still be with him, you'd have given him what he wanted and disappeared."

"I almost did, don't you see? I almost gave up everything I love and need in my life. I came so close. I am so grateful that people didn't give up on me, that they fought for me, you have no idea what it means to me, to Grace, for me to be here. Now, the Institute thinks Steve would be better off without me? Maybe it's true, maybe I shouldn't be his Guide if I can contemplate giving it up for a criminal. If he was paired with someone who was good, properly compatible, then he could go do his SEAL thing without me weighing him down. Besides…" he took a breath. "I can tell he's anxious to get a bond back, but is it 'cause he wants the bond, or he wants me? After what happened, I question if he _**should**_ want me."

"Danny, no!" Steve strode towards them from the shadows by the wall, breaking out into a run to close the gap. "Don't you dare say that, don't you ever doubt yourself."

Danny stood, his crutches falling with a clatter to the grass. "Steve, what are you…? Have you been listening?"

Steve stopped in front of him. "We need to talk about this, Danny. You think I-"

"Woah, wait, hold up a minute." Danny leaned slightly against the bench, but not caring right now about any twinges in his body as he was working his anger up. "What the hell is the matter with you? You were supposed to be inside eating lunch. And what? You decided that it doesn't matter what I asked for, you were going to do what you wanted?"

"Danny-"

"That's not how this works, Steven!" Danny stumbled a little back into the bench and Steve's hand automatically came out to steady him. "Don't touch me!" Danny pushed him away and sat back down again, refusing to make eye contact.

"I'm going to give you some time to talk this through," Doctor James said, pushing up from where she was sat and hurriedly walking back to the sliding doors into the hospital.

There was silence as Steve sat on the bench beside Danny. Eventually Steve faced Danny and took a breath. "Never doubt how much I want you in my life."

"Not the point right now, Steven."

"I was just checking on you and I happened to hear-"

"No, you didn't, don't lie to me. You were hiding back there somewhere and using your ears."

"Okay, maybe a little." Steve huffed and lifted a leg under himself so he could turn to face Danny better. "I'm still a bit wound up when I can't see you in front of me. I know you're not going anywhere, but the first time it was the CIA and then Delano..."

Danny stayed silent. His head tipped back a little and he squinted up towards the sun, his hands held together, caught between his knees.

"You really feel that way?"

"The whole point," Danny began slowly, low, still not looking at Steve, "of talking to my Doctor, is to try and work things out. I'm working through things, I think I have a right to do so."

"Of course."

"And I wanted to work through them on my own."

"But you don't have to. I'm right here."

Danny finally turned to face Steve and shook his head. "You can't always be. And maybe sometimes it's better if you're not. I won't rely on you for everything and I don't expect you to take over my life. I'm a Guide, sure, and you're a Sentinel. That doesn't mean I defer to you."

"I know that."

"Then stop trying to take over my life, watching over me like a hawk. That's what he did!"

There was silence as Danny's words sunk in for both of them. He hadn't meant to blurt out any comparison. He hadn't even realized he thought that way about the situation. That was maybe part of it, but he also had wanted to hurt Steve, a little. It worked. Steve's shocked eyes widened. "You-"

"Let me stand on my own two feet," Danny said, almost trying to gloss over what he'd already put out there. He grabbed the arm of the bench and raised himself back up again, but while reaching for his crutches, he stumbled as his right knee locked up and he fell back against Steve, who caught him on reflex.

Steve kept hold around Danny with one hand on a hip, the other curled higher by his chest. Their legs tangled from thigh to calf. Steve's head balanced on Danny's shoulder and he turned his nose into Danny's neck.

"The difference is that I will _**never**_ force you to do anything you don't want. I never have and I never will. You're the most important person in my life, I just like having you next to me and I'm sorry if I can be overbearing."

"I didn't mean to say it like that…" Danny curled a hand back and ran his fingers over Steve's cheek. He tried to turn and get more comfortable and found Steve's hold to be quite tight. He cleared his throat, curled his fingers into a loose fist and lightly tapped against Steve's temple. "Control freak caveman."

Danny could feel Steve's tension ease with the lightness of his comment, and the Sentinel smiled and placed a kiss against Danny's neck. "Loudmouthed luddite."

Finally, Danny was able to twist enough to have his eyes meet Steve's. "Okay, we just alliterated while insulting each other. We've hit a new low."

Steve laughed. His head tipped back from Danny, then came forward again to lean against the side of his head. He took a deep breath and hummed against Danny.

"You know you can't keep watch on me 24/7," Danny continued, face more serious now. "It's not practical, or healthy. And not just because you need to actually sleep and eat and do your job, but because if I'm always seeing your face, I will punch it, swear to God."

"I know, and I believe you." Steve pouted. "As our bond grows again, it gets easier. You're what brought me out of the worst zone I'd ever had, and you've kept me on an even keel ever since. I know you can keep doing that, and I know you'll do it because you love me."

"Try to sound more smug about that."

"Hey, now." Steve smiled and leaned in closer, lips almost touching Danny's but not quite. "I love you, too. You make me crazy, and I annoy the hell out of you, but we're…" he shrugged, "compatible. In the best possible way."

He closed the distance between them and kissed Danny soundly. It was the first true kiss they'd shared since Danny had been in the hospital. Sure, there had been touches of lips, there had been kisses of comfort, of relief, of thankfulness, but not of basic love until this moment. They kisses lazily. It was sticky and sweet and difficult to pull apart, but they were in a public garden and anyone could be walking by.

And Danny was sitting at an awkward angle braced against Steve's side. "Okay, lover-boy," Danny pulled back. "I will forgive you for spying on me and being all Captain Cavemen, on the condition that you forget I doubted why you want me as your Guide."

"It's Lieutenant Commander Cavemen, but deal," Steve answered. "We need to get papers signed so I can get you home and see about finishing our bond." He waggled his eyebrows and looked down Danny's body. The appreciative look was the same as Danny had always seen. He was worried about the scars, scabs, burns and bruises that lay under his clothing. He was concerned about his own weight loss and the still baggy eyes, but when Steve looked at him like that he knew his doubts were unfounded. Just as he knew that Steve's slightly gaunt face and figure took nothing away from how much Danny loved him back. And they'd heal together.


	13. Chapter 13

"You know, the only reason I'm doing this is because I know your Sentinel will take good care of you," Doctor James said as they finished up the paperwork at the desk.

Danny was in a wheelchair. He'd grumbled, but it was hospital policy. Steve wouldn't take any argument from him either. Once they were at the door he'd be using crutches or a cane. He hoped he'd be fine with the cane, but he already knew Steve was going to be holding the crutches and packing them into the back seat of the car too.

"You have a warped sense of 'good care'," Danny grumbled.

"Oh, come on, Danny," the Doctor mock scorned him. "You know you love it."

Danny didn't need to turn around to know Steve was smiling smugly, like he always did when he one-upped Danny.

"I've already gone over everything with Steve. He knows what meds you can take and when. He's also been read the riot act over what you should and shouldn't do. Physically, I mean. We've also talked about your diet, so everything is taken care of. Please let him help you and don't be a big baby about it," she said before he could complain. "We're all here to help. You're still injured and will be for a while yet."

"Yes, ma'am," he mumbled, sullenly.

"What did I tell you about calling me that? I'm not sixty."

"Sorry, Maddie." His voice still held it's frustration but it was token at this point; his smile giving him away. He really did like this Doctor. And he hoped to see her again… even though he hoped never to see her again.

"You know where I am if you need to talk. Steve has my number too."

"I thought you'd be heading back to Cascade?" Steve asked.

"I will be. Soon. But I'm staying until Doctor Forrest is finished with his investigation."

"And here I thought you were staying for the surfing and my winning smile." Danny added.

"That too," she smiled.

They all ignored the implication that if Forrest decided against them, that she would be needed to help Danny with any permanent separation that the Institute might demand. But Steve and Danny had already talked about this, and they knew that whatever Forrest decided meant nothing to them as they were going to be sticking together. Even if it meant defying two Organizations.

* * *

Steve drove, naturally. Of course, with Danny's knees as they were, there was no way he'd be driving again for a few weeks, which would put Steve into his own version of automobile heaven. Danny planned on complaining and back seat driving the entire time, warranted or not.

Pulling into the driveway was the first time Danny had seen the house since the night he was taken and here it was, looking exactly the same. As it would do after only a few weeks. But he somehow felt like it would be different.

He stared at it. Steve had opened the door and then stopped, wondering why Danny wasn't following suit.

"What is it?" he asked.

Danny took a breath. "I'm sorry." He turned his head to face Steve. "I should have been more careful that night."

Steve gave him a look. "You think they only caught you because you didn't set the alarm?"

"I'm not saying that. Not entirely," he fixed. "It's just… it was stupid not to. I guess I was so used to you staying in the house while I took Grace back to Rachel's all this time, that I forgot you weren't there or something. But that's just a poor excuse for doing everything wrong. I dunno…" He leaned his elbow by the window and ran a hand through his hair.

"There were three of them. Professionals. They came prepared."

"I made it easier for them," Danny argued. "Not only did I not set the alarm, but my gun was locked up inside and I just knew something was wrong. My spidey senses tingled and I did nothing about it."

"For one, it's not the first time either of us have forgotten to set the damned thing. Two, of course your gun was locked up if Grace was around and three, you are not Spiderman. Gut instincts or not, you wanted to verify first. You did the right thing."

"Would you have done the same?"

"Honestly, I don't know. But I'm a Sentinel, I have abilities you don't have and that's just biological fact. Maybe I'd have heard them in the house, maybe I'd have smelled them. But just because I might have known they were there, doesn't mean I could have beaten them. Kamaka is a big guy."

"Kamaka? Oh… Tugboat." Danny realized. He'd almost forgotten that out of everyone involved in the whole mess, Kamaka was still alive and in HPD's custody. He wanted very much to go see the man, but he had no real clue how he'd react. Steve didn't want him going anywhere near him for many reasons, most of them his usual overprotective ones. There was all that, plus the lawyers had warned them off.

"Tugboat?" Steve asked.

"I had nicknames for them all," Danny waved a hand by his head, indicating to Steve how giving them names had helped keep him that little bit saner.

"Will you get out of the car and go inside, please?" Steve moved the conversation back to the original topic. "I'll carry you if I have to."

The vague warning was enough to get Danny moving.

He hobbled up to the door and let Steve open it before stepping in. Everything inside looked the same as well, as he knew it would. Really, the only thing that might be different would be the bedroom. He remembered the struggle and some crashing noises but had no idea what might have been broken.

He turned to Steve. He didn't know what he thought he might see, but he knew there was an expectation hanging in the air that now they were home and alone, they'd need to finish their re-bonding. But Steve seemed very relaxed, and not worked up in his usual way.

"Do you want a shower before lunch? Get that hospital smell off?"

"Yeah, I think so," Danny answered uncertainly. "But I thought…" he waved a hand between the two of them and Steve stepped forward, his hands framing Danny's shoulders.

"There's no rush. You just got in the door." He leaned down and kissed Danny with intent, but let it go no further than that reassuring touch. "Do you need help with the stairs?"

"I got it," Danny said as he moved away from Steve and shifted the cane in his hands so he could hold onto the bannister. It was slow going and he could feel Steve's eyes on him, ready to pounce and help, but he made it up by himself. His winces hidden from Steve's view, he gingerly made his way to the bedroom.

He stopped in the doorway and took it in. Steve, or someone, had been in to clean it up. Probably someone else. Steve hadn't left Danny's side for long enough to come back to the house. He suspected Catherine. The bed was made, that was normal. The photos on the dresser had been rearranged, he realized, because one had been broken. The photo lay on the table slightly scarred from the broken glass. The chair he used to put his laundry on had been replaced. He didn't even recognize it at first, but then noticed it was from the spare room. But all in all, this was home and it was how he remembered it. It still gave him a secure feeling, even though he was attacked here, and that was good enough for him.

After his shower, he dragged on a pair of sweat pants and headed back downstairs. His top half was completely on view. He didn't even bother redressing the wounds on his arms. Those on his chest, stomach and legs could probably go without now anyway. Going down the stairs turned out to be easier than up, and he did it more quickly. He could smell the chicken cooking as he hovered in the doorway to the kitchen.

Steve turned, knowing he was there. The man had probably been listening in to him the entire time anyway. "Hey, wow," he said, taking in the sight of Danny standing there.

"Wow, what?" Danny asked looking down at himself, frowning a little at the state of his body.

"Nothing," Steve blushed and adjusted himself. Danny smirked, pleased by Steve's reaction but left it alone and sat at the table.

"So I thought your mom would be here," Danny began as Steve brought over plates and sat down as well.

"She has been over the last few days but that was only until she could get a place of her own. Catherine's been helping out. She's taken care of sorting the Doris situation for me, keeping her out of my way. I didn't want her to still be here when you got out."

"Cath's been doing everything? We need to get her something. I know she does these favors all the time, but really, we need to pay her back now."

"For putting up with my mother she deserves a knighthood."

"Well, we aren't British. Or royal. So we cannot bestow that on her. Can't you get her promoted or something?"

"It doesn't work that way," Steve shook his head with a smile. "I did have an idea though. Not just for Cath, but for the others too. Try to get us all back to normal. I thought we could have a cook out here."

"Sounds good. When did you want to do it?" Danny asked between bites then looked up when Steve didn't answer immediately. "You already organized it, didn't you."

"Tonight," Steve said with a flinch.

"Steve, I just got home and you want me to socialize?"

"It'll be good for you, good for all of us. Chin needs our support before the funeral, Kono and Max have done just as much as Cath to help out everywhere they can. We all need this."

"Fine, fine," Danny gave in. "Just don't expect me to be a social butterfly or anything."

* * *

After lunch was cleared away, the two men headed into the living room and collapsed on the couch together. Danny took a moment to let it all sink in that he was home, he was with Steve, and they were on the couch. It had been too long since they'd done this, and before, they did it pretty much everyday.

Steve pulled his legs up onto the sofa, forcing Danny to do the same where they tangled together, and he spooned the smaller man from against the back cushions. Steve's fingers tickled lightly over Danny's chest and stomach, not wanting to press too hard into the bruises.

Danny tried to concentrate as Steve's other hand, holding the remote control, flicked through channels before settling on a football highlights show, but it was difficult with Steve's hand playing in his chest hair, and his breath light against Danny's bare shoulder. It seemed that Steve wasn't concentrating on the television much either, as he lifted Danny's arm, bent it at the elbow and pulled up so he could lay soft kisses against the abused flesh. Steve's lips glided across the sensitive skin and Danny turned his head to watch.

"Are you cataloguing my injuries?" Danny asked, already knowing the answer. Steve did this when Danny was hurt, and though he'd done so in the hospital, he hadn't been able to put as much effort in, especially when Danny was still covered in gauze and bandages.

Steve just turned his head into Danny's and kissed his lips in answer, before going back to his arm. Danny turned away again, back to the TV, and let Steve continue. The touches on his body were tender and careful, there was no pain from it.

He remembered a feel of a hand on his face, cupping it gently, turning into it for it's comfort. He remembered his own head resting on a shoulder while hands touched over him, scraping against sensitive skin, making him jerk back responsively.

His other hand shot out, and grabbed onto Steve's wrist, stopping him.

Steve scrambled up, supporting himself on an arm, looking down at Danny with a worried look. "What's wrong, did I hurt you?"

"No, no," Danny let go of Steve slowly. "I was just, remembering… something…" he gestured to his head. "Something he did."

"He touched you?" Steve growled, looking over Danny's body as if imagining hand prints of someone else daring to get close to Danny.

"He…" Danny pushed to sit up more against the arm of the couch. "He tried to comfort me, I think." Memories rushed through Danny's head in a jumble, he wasn't sure what had happened or when. He saw Frank's face, his eyes softer than he'd ever seen before as he tried to convince Danny of all the things Steve had done wrong.

"Comfort?" Steve asked, a derisive look on his face. "He was trying to con you."

Danny just glared over his shoulder at Steve. "Shut up, I know exactly what he was trying to do, okay? I can see that now, and even then I knew something wasn't right. Don't start with me."

"Start what?"

Danny waved a hand around. "Like you're so sure what happened, or what was meant by different things."

"Danny," Steve sat up, taking more notice. "I don't… what is this? Are you defending him?"

"I was drugged!" Danny all but yelled, sitting up, running a hand through his hair and planting his feet back on the ground.

Steve moved in behind him, legs around him, arms threaded around Danny's waist. "I know, babe."

"I just, things come back to me and I don't even know how I feel about it. But trust me on this, I know what Frank Delano is… was… and even when he tried his hardest to turn me against everything I love and believe in, I held on. Okay? I did my best. I don't need people thinking I've got some sort of Stockholm Syndrome, it's not that."

"Then what is it?" Steve asked, his chin on Danny's shoulder, his lips placing a soft kiss on his neck in encouragement. "All I want to do is help."

Danny thought back. How he'd held out even though something in his head had told him that maybe Delano was right, maybe he should listen, maybe he should turn against Steve for leaving him. "What Delano used was based in truth." He turned to look into Steve's eyes. This close it reminded him of the right things he'd wanted, and how in Delano's eyes he'd seen everything wrong. "He tried to convince me to turn against you by using real things about you. That's why my mind got confused over how much of it was really going on."

"What did he say?"

"I don't know… he uh, he called you out for going to Japan without me, for throwing yourself into gun fights, for wanting to go do your Navy SEAL thing. It was like he had read all our reports or something, he knew a lot, he tried to convince me that you were too dangerous and that since I had Grace to think about, I needed a different Sentinel."

"But it didn't work?" Steve asked, his voice hopeful but wary.

"I remember one time I remember his hand on my face and I was thinking 'this is my Sentinel with me' and I opened my eyes and I looked into his and… everything was wrong." Danny turned in Steve's hold, and mirrored the action, cupping Steve's chin and looking into his eyes. "Because what I'd seen in my head was what I'm looking at right now."

Steve smiled. "You are the strongest person I know."

"I think you mean 'most stubborn'," Danny smiled back.

This time when they kissed, neither could draw back. Danny felt his heart drumming through his body, the echo of it in his ears. He swallowed as he pulled back, their foreheads touching as they breathed deep.

"I need to feel you, Steve. I need to keep you in my head."

Steve just nodded against Danny and they fell back against the couch cushions, once more entwined with each other. Hands reached out to caress against skin, there was no pain in Danny's body, only the feel of being alive.

Steve's shirt was dragged down his arms. He pulled back enough to reach up and tug his t-shirt over his head and then he was back to Danny, putting all his attention onto him. He trailed down Danny's neck with his lips, tongue and teeth. He moved down Danny's chest and stomach, giving extra attention to anywhere injured, making sure he knew Danny was healing. Steve was just dragging down Danny's sweatpants when a thought struck.

"Bed, Steven, we need a bed."

"Your knees, can you make it?"

Danny hesitated. "Uhm…"

"Too late," Steve said, he untangled them and stood, gave Danny a feral, delighted grin then picked him up in a princess lift and got him to the stairs so fast, Danny wasn't sure what had happened.

"If you drop me, I'll kill you and all your descendants."

"I'm not going to drop you, stop whining."

"I'm not whining, I'm legitimately concerned. Stop jostling!" As they made it to the top of the stairs, Steve fast walked into the bedroom.

"Do you want to do this or not?"

"Of course, oh my god," Danny bounced onto the bed and steadied himself as Steve got himself naked. "You're such an animal."

"Yeah, but you love it." Steve crawled on top of Danny, straddling the smaller man and with a playful bark, he pulled at the waistband of Danny's pants and dragged them down, using his own feet to shove them off the bed. Steve showed his animal side as they kissed hard, teeth clattering, Danny's head forced back into the mattress with the pressure. He moaned into the kiss, feeling Steve's satisfied smile against his lips as he pushed against Danny, their bodies lining up in a well practiced way.

"Steve, babe, as much as I do want it, the rough stuff can wait a few days."

Steve all but pouted at him as they breathed each others' air, but he had to admit Danny had a point. The other man was still tender and what was important was re-bonding. Fully. Steve's hands cupped Danny's face and he placed delicate kisses all over him with a smile.

"Cute, Steven, real cute."

"What?" Steve asked. "I can do tender and sweet and gentle and indulgent-" Danny dragged Steve's head back down to his, cutting off his words.

"Bonding, Steve." He reiterated when they broke apart. "Bonding." He waggled his eyebrows. "I can feel you against me, I know how much you want it. So I think the best idea right now, is for you to shut up," Danny nosed Steve's cheek, his tongue darting out to lick against Steve's lips. "And grab the lube."

"Yes, sir," Steve answered.

They moved together with ease, despite Danny's injuries. His mind shut off from anything to do with those and instead concentrated wholly on Steve and how he felt. Not just the physical delight in how Steve touched him, but their emotional connection. He knew it had been there since they'd first given in to the inevitable bond that could only come from them being a true match up, but only now that he knew more about the process could he appreciate it for what it was.

Danny's body reacted to Steve's in a way no one else had ever come close. That was nothing against any of the sexual partners he'd had in the past, it was just that Steve was on another level. He was convinced by the way Steve looked at him, that he felt the same way. There was a unity they shared as a Sentinel and Guide that was almost spiritual. He didn't understand where it came from, he didn't care to speculate about anything divine, he just knew, with all of his heart, that he loved Steve. They kept their gazes firmly fixed on one another as they came. Steve's voice cut off with a strangled yelp as he felt the stickiness between them from Danny's release, and the tightening of muscle was enough to throw off his rhythm. With one last thrust, Danny felt Steve's orgasm. His legs dropped from around Steve's waist, the dull throb in them actually welcome as they came down from on high.

Steve rolled off him, but only far enough to grab the end of the sheet to wipe their stomachs and hands and then he wrapped himself back around Danny.

There was a buzz in his head. A happy, contented buzz that let him know they were synced up. It was like an echo of movement, and one he'd missed having, even though he never really paid a huge amount of attention to it in his day to day life.

Steve broke the silence. "I don't know how the Institute could decide against us. That was amazing."

"Hmmm," Danny answered. "Not sure they care so much about how awesome our sex is. They want results in the field."

"And we give them damn good results there too," Steve argued. "They'll see things my way, just wait and see."

"You think you're that persuasive?"

"With you by my side? I can do anything."

* * *

When the doorbell went, it woke both Steve and Danny abruptly. Steve's hold loosened around Danny and he turned to face the Sentinel with bleary eyes. "What time is it?"

"Too early for visitors," Steve answered, warily.

"Don't be weird," Danny said, tapping Steve lightly on the arm. "Go see who it is."

"You could go," Steve responded.

"Not with my knees," Danny answered, looking at Steve like he was stupid.

"Right," Steve remembered. He'd been too caught up in their re-bonding to think clearly. "Right, I'll just go downstairs. Once I find some clothes."

He didn't make any move to get out of bed.

The doorbell went again. "Babe, that's your cue." Danny batted Steve's arm.

"Fine," Steve grumbled, pushing the sheets back and padding out of bed, grabbing his pants and pulling them on as he went out the bedroom door. He turned to see Danny curl back up in the bed as he walked down the hall. He smiled to himself, feeling much more secure now that they were strong again and Danny was back where he belonged. The physical wounds would heal, and he wasn't lying when he said Danny was the strongest person he knew. Danny would pull through, he had plenty of people around to help. The whole team, and their extended family, were Ohana. They'd all support each other and it would start at that evening's cookout.

He opened the door, and the smile dropped from his face.

"Mom," he said, curtly, surprised to see her.

"I came to help get you set up for tonight," she said and pushed past Steve into the house. "I could have let myself in, I know, but I thought I'd be polite since I knew you were back home today."

"Uh, yeah, Danny is upstairs," Steve motioned.

"Since I finally get to meet the man you hold so dear, I thought I'd come over early, before everyone else. Give us some quality family time."

"No one is due for at least 2 hours, Doris. Early is one thing but…"

"But you were still in bed with your Guide," she held a hand up as Steve blushed. "Don't be a child, Steven, I'm well aware of your relationship with him. I'd like to meet the Guide who has you wrapped around his finger."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, following his mother into the kitchen and watching her begin to raid the cupboards. Kamekona had done the shopping for them for the evening, Catherine had been with him and promised Steve that everything chosen was sensible.

"It doesn't mean anything, Stevie, my God, you never used to be this suspicious."

"I grew up, Doris. Quickly. After you 'died' and my senses manifested, I had to. I've done a lot of growing up. I'm not the little kid you left behind."

"I know that, sweetie. I just want what's best for you."

"You sound like the Institute."

"Is that so bad?" Her question hung in the air. She sounded like she knew something.

Steve narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. He heard footsteps on the stairs, she probably did too. He wondered if she was going to dig a hole for herself in front of the Guide in question. "You know they're thinking they can separate us?"

"If they want to, they will. You know that."

"No, they won't. They don't have control of my life. If they want to put me with another Guide or Danny with another Sentinel then they'll have to force us. We've fought hard to be where we are. Together. No one's pulling us apart again. And it's time you realized it just as much as them."

Steve took a step outside the door, knowing exactly where Danny was standing by his senses and gathered him into his arms. He'd heard Danny's heart beating faster with the worry over their situation. After what Danny had gone through, having the Institute force them apart would be no different. They'd both already felt glimpses of the pain of seperating, and neither wanted to go through that again.

He let his senses take over and surrounded himself in the feel of his Guide. He didn't know how long he floated in the feeling, but he felt Danny's hands ghosting up his arms and bracketing his face, his voice was smooth and low as it spoke to him, pulling him down from the heightened awareness and back to his regular self. He didn't always understand how the Guiding process worked, how Danny hooked into Steve like he did, grounding him, but he was grateful for it. It was so easy to go in and out of his senses if he had Danny. How the Institute thought anyone else could do better was beyond him.

"You must be Detective Williams," Doris asked, her hand out for Danny to shake, and he took it after a brief look up at Steve.

"You must be Steve's mother."

"Call me Doris. Or mom. Someone should around here," her eyes narrowed at Steve. "So you're a high level empath? Does it run in the family?"

"My aunt is one. My Uncle is a strong Sentinel. My mother guides my father. And one of my sisters is also a Guide, but she's not paired up yet."

"And I'm right in saying the Center made a mistake with you? Seems odd considering they expect Guides in familial lines."

"My brother and other sister aren't Guides. Or Sentinels. They're just normal. They were even retested when Steve latched onto me, and they're still normal."

"You say 'normal' like it's something to want to be," Doris narrowed her eyes. "People usually look to us as some kind of superheroes."

"I never wanted to be a superhero growing up. I wanted to be a cop." They moved to sit down, Doris on the arm chair, with Steve and Danny on the couch, holding hands. "I love my family very much, but I looked at what they had to go through and I didn't want that for myself. I saw my sister have to get extra schooling from the Center, and I was happy skateboarding and playing baseball. I saw my mother called out of the house at four a.m. to go to a fire scene and get my dad regulated. My aunt and uncle work for the government, and get shipped all over the country to help out, they never really settled down. All those things, I never wanted. I just wanted to be a cop, have a family, get season tickets for the Jets. Normal things."

"So, Steve really turned your life upside down. You're happy with that?"

"My life was already upside down. The life I wanted had already been taken away from me with divorce and my ex-wife remarrying and bringing my daughter out here to an Island I couldn't stand. And the Jets had a sucky season."

Steve threw an arm around Danny, realizing that although the long sleeved shirt Danny had put on was soft, there was a t-shirt underneath that could be rubbing against him. Not to mention the jeans. He changed the subject. "Danny, why are you wearing this?"

"What?" Danny looked down at himself.

"These jeans are going to rub against your scratches and probably break them open, not to mention getting them on must have been hell on your knees. And did you redress anything before putting on two shirts?"

"I'm fine," Danny said, pulling the sleeves of his sweater down. Steve immediately recognized the move - Danny was being self conscious about his wounds. Earlier, around Steve had been fine, but with company he was covering up. He wasn't happy that Danny felt that way about himself, but on the other hand, he had no reason to feel jealous of other people looking at him if Danny was covered up.

"You're going to get too hot."

"I'll be fine. It's going to cool down as it gets late anyway." He turned back to Doris. "You're staying for whatever it is Steve has planned for the evening?"

"That was the idea."

"Good. Maybe you'll have a better time convincing Steve to leave the pineapples off the grill."

"You don't like pineapple? How can you not like pineapple when you live in Hawai'i?"

"I have never liked it, that's not going to change because I moved here."

"What about pizza. You're from Jersey, you have pineapple on pizza, right?"

"No, no we do not. Pineapple does not belong anywhere near a pizza…"

Steve smiled as he watched Danny hobble into the kitchen with his mother. Maybe she wouldn't be as bad as he thought. She seemed to have Steve's same knack for hitting the right buttons to turn on a Danny Williams rant.

* * *

Danny limped down the beach, closer to the waves. The crutches Steve tried to make him use were still in the living room, and his cane was abandoned on the lanai. It was pointless using either on sand and he didn't mind the odd few steps without the support.

As he wandered away from the gathered group towards where Chin stood, he tried to make a little noise to alert the man of his presence.

Chin turned his head and smiled through the water in his eyes. Danny could do little else other than put a hand on his shoulder.

"How are you holding up?" Danny asked, feeling useless.

"It's okay. She'll have a good send off tomorrow, I know it. She had a lot of people around who loved her."

"I'm sorry," Danny said, looking away for a moment. He almost felt guilty for living, knowing just what Delano had done to Malia, he did wonder if that would have been his fate, had he not been useful to Frank.

"We got you back, brah. Something good came out of this mess."

"You know I'll always be grateful for what you've done, Chin. To keep working on getting me back after all of this. It means a lot. To me and to Grace."

"I couldn't let it happen twice."

"At least we know he can't hurt anyone else." Danny squeezed Chin's shoulder. "She'd be very proud of you. I know we all are. And if you need anything, you know Steve and I are right here for you."

"Thanks," Chin smiled, wiping his eyes.

"Speaking of here for you, we have beer. McGarrett bought it so I suggest you drink up. Drink my share, even. I'm still not allowed any and I don't want it going to waste."

"Steve actually bought something?"

"He sent Shamu and Cath to get it, but he handed them his own, actual money to go do it. Take advantage of it while you can. I made the dip. Family recipe. No secret ingredients or anything, but it's all about the measures..."


	14. Chapter 14

It had been two weeks. Danny had managed to hide the crutches from Steve and he'd yet to find them. He was using his cane quite happily, even using it as a weapon when Steve annoyed him.

He'd been back to work for a few days, with the Docs at the Guide wing at King's finally deciding he was okay. Sure, he'd had a few wobbles waking up from nightmares, but Steve had been there for him the whole time.

Cath had been put on babysitting duty along with Chin, while Steve returned to work. Chin had a few days around Malia's funeral that he'd spent with Danny. They'd both seemed to benefit from the time together. Chin hadn't been lying about feeling better because they'd saved Danny from Delano; it was clear in his actions that he wanted Danny to get well sooner and he didn't take any of Danny's crap.

Steve was happier when Cath was around so that there was a Sentinel on hand in case anything happened. He trusted her to look after Danny. At first, Danny had been stubborn about the situation, knowing that this was Steve's compromise in letting him out of his own sight, but in the end, he and Cath had fun. She'd surfed while he exercised on the beach, getting himself fit for his return to work. They'd watched some bad TV, made a few messes in the kitchen and, upon finding out which football team she supported, he'd spent an entire afternoon winding her up. Mostly with ridiculing emails that clogged her inbox.

She'd also been on hand to drive him to Grace's school every day. Since he wasn't working that week, Rachel had allowed them more time together. It made sense and Grace wanted her Danno to pick her up rather than the driver Rachel had. She wanted to take care of her father in a way that seemed to signal a possible guiding manifestation in her future.

The relationship with Rachel was uneasy, but with Danny's injuries they'd been civil. There was still the issue of her wanting to move to Vegas, but she'd calmed down a little once Steve had mentioned the Institute. But with their pairing up in the air, they weren't sure how much they could follow through on that threat and Rachel knew it too. She wasn't scared, in fact, she seemed to think she had the best case and was practically letting Danny have this time with Grace because she thought Danny wouldn't have the access for much longer.

Danny was still going to fight, though. Grace and Steve were the reasons he was on this Island. They were the reasons he had stayed, and why he had survived against Frank Delano. He needed them both here. It was selfish, he knew that, but he wanted his life to be good now. He felt he deserved it.

Now Danny was back at work. His fitness was better, though he had to be careful of his knees for another few weeks. He had opted to wear the sleeves of his shirts lower until his burns weren't quite so noticeable, but that would take a while. He was getting used to them, and knew that sooner or later he'd have to suck it up and turn up his sleeves again, whether because of the hawaiian sun or because the damned things were too long on him anyway.

Doctor Forrest had been popping into the house to see them occasionally, but he'd told them he was mostly interested in their working relationship. Danny had begun to ease back into work unofficially by going over files at home when Steve brought things with him at the end of the day. Forrest had been there one evening when Danny had hit on a lead that later broke the case. And all because the dates on accounting forms didn't match up with those on licensing forms. Sometimes it was the little things that got criminals, it wasn't always about intimidating confessions out of them in darkened rooms.

The good Doctor rode along with them on Danny's second day back. They tried to be good. In other words, they tried to be something they weren't. And it lasted all of two hours, at best. Then Danny got annoyed at Steve for tearing off after a suspect and 'accidentally' toppling the guy into the back of a garbage truck when he took him down. Mainly he was annoyed because it meant having to interview him while he stunk the place up and luckily, they'd used an HPD cruiser and not the Camaro to get him back to headquarters.

By the next day, the case had been solved, the kidnapped wife was back with her husband. Even though he might be going to jail for the reason she was kidnapped in the first place, it was a happy ending. While the team celebrated another win, Forrest walked in the door.

Steve sidled closer to Danny but no one called him out for it.

"Maybe we should have a word in your office," Forrest began after pleasantries.

"Whatever you want to say can be done in front of everyone," Steve stated, his demeanor changed to one much more wary and predatory.

"I submitted my final report to the Institute last night. Told them they'd be crazy to try and separate you. Not just because it's not pleasant to release a bond so deep rooted, but because you would fight them all the way on it. It's just not in their best interests."

"That's good news," Kono said. "We should celebrate. And Danny's allowed to drink alcohol again."

"No tequila shots," Chin warned her. "Not after last time."

"Wait," Danny interrupted before they could get carried away. "I don't think he's done."

They all looked at Forrest again. "Can't hide anything from a high level Guide," he moaned. "As much as you get results, their concern now is still that Danny doesn't have the training normally required for a Guide of such natural ability. They think the whole thing with Delano highlighted that."

"He fought Delano all the way, we got him back in time," Steve argued.

"That's just it. You got him back _in time_. As in, real damage was easily around the corner, Detective Williams admitted that himself." He turned back to Danny. "They want you to go on a few training courses. They're liaising with the Center over them. Think of it like night classes at a college."

"I can't go to Cascade. And I'm not going to fly up every so often even for short term stays. My life is here, Steve needs me, Grace."

"I'm going with you," Steve said, matter-of-factly.

"Neither of you are going to Cascade. They're going to set it up as partly on online based system and anything needing done in person will be done at the Center's facility on Maui. This is good news guys, it's the best you were always going to get from them."

* * *

Danny leaned against the door of Steve's office once he closed it behind them. They'd talked for longer with Forrest, had a drink with him and the team and only now could they retreat into their own bubble by coming in here.

Steve moved around the desk, sorting a few things out and putting down both of their beers before looking up and seeing Danny still standing by the door.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Just taking a moment, letting the relief sink in."

Steve smiled, came back around the desk and headed straight for his Guide, placing his hands on Danny's biceps. "I told you they'd see it my way in the end."

"You act like you had some actual say in the matter."

"I didn't?" Steve's face was too innocent and Danny frowned, wondering if Steve _**did**_ have influence higher up the chain of command in the Institute that helped them out or...

"Did you bribe your old buddy for a good report?"

"Of course not," Steve snorted.

"Then what did you do? Please tell me it's not illegal."

"What do you take me for? I just leaned on a few people I know from Annapolis and the Navy, found out who was involved more directly in our case and made a point of telling them where they could shove themselves if they thought separating us would do them any good. That and Forrest and I go back far enough that I always had faith that he'd be good to us. You watch out for each other in the SEALs. If he needed me, I'd do it for him too."

"You are something else, you know that, right?"

"I do," Steve smirked.

"I didn't mean that in a nice way."

"Yeah, you did," Steve leaned down and kissed him, both of them smiling into it.

That was when Steve's phone rang and he reluctantly pulled back to answer it.

"McGarrett… okay… we're on our way," he shrugged his shoulders as he hung up.

"A case? Now? We just solved one," Danny grumbled, shoulders slumping. So much for the celebrations.

"I think you'll like this one," Steve answered, opening the door and shoving Danny back out of it.

"What makes you say that?"

"Because it's drugs related, it's a beautiful day and there's a shark cage crying out to have a scumbag thrown into it."

Steve moved ahead of Danny, keys to the Camaro dangling from his fingertips as he motioned for Kono and Chin to fall in with them. He was smiling, clearly enjoying thoughts of his promised free pass.

Danny stopped for a moment. "You do realize I was still sick when I said about all that, yeah? McGarrett? Steven?"

"Let's go, Danno!"


End file.
